Christmas  The Sequel
by EVAN AAML
Summary: Ash and the gang return to Pallet Town to celebrate the holidays. But a surprise arrives when their angel friend Evan returns after four years. And this time he's accompanied by a very special friend. Happy Holidays! AAML and others.
1. Dec 23rd Arrival For All

**HO HO HO! And happy holidays to you all! I know it's early, but I figured I should get this story started! My goal is to at LEAST have most of it done by Christmas. I find that this will be difficult because this would be my first non-one shot story that will be straight out of my head and not written down. I simply don't have the time to do that anymore. In preparation for this sequel, I decided to re-read my older Christmas story, and after reading it, I have to say...IT REALLY SUCKED! I don't know about you, but I personally hate reading one of my older stories because then I realize what a bad job I did on it. Now to defend myself, I wrote the original "Christmas" when I was 15 and new to fan-fiction. So I'm PRETTY sure I've gotten better since then. I also noticed that I had some issues with saying Delia/Mrs. Ketchum and Prof. Oak's name, what's up with that? Anyway, how that story became my most popular up until "Power From Within" is beyond me! So I hope to make this story ten times better! I also entend to keep true to the older story, so the changes I originally made will be in tact for this story. The biggest one being Togepi's stay with the gang. I don't know how long it will take me, but I promise that it will be spectacular, amazing, and of course, "magical". So what are we waiting for? LET'S GET STARTED!**

**-EVAN AAML**

The snow fell down elegantly over the Kanto region. The white powder collected onto the ground at a quick pace, covering any and all traces of the green and brown. The very slight noise of snow hitting the ground could be heard. The pine trees had a dusting of white over their pines, making them the only other source of color over the distance. From inside the Pokemon Center, a young Pokemon trainer watched as the outside became a winter wonderland. Although he has seen this probably thousands of times throughout his travels, he always appreciated the beauty of it. Ash Ketchum had returned to Kanto once again, as he always did for the holiday season. For the last few years however, he has come home with more than just himself. Ever since that one fateful Christmas four years ago with the spirit of Christmas, he has come home with not only his friends both old and new, but the love of his life, Misty Waterflower. Ever since they had expressed their love for each other, they have been inseparable. Misty had rejoined Ash and his friends through Hoenn and then again through Kanto for the Battle Frontier. It was then that Misty realized that her sisters had returned and took over the gym during her absence. After finding out about Misty and Ash's new relationship, they were more than happy to let her travel with them permanently. So naturally, Misty stayed with Ash through the Battle Frontier and on through Sinnoh. Now, with the holidays fast approaching, they took a break from their journey once again to see their families. As Ash continued to look out the window, his yellow companion Pikachu ran to his side. Ash broke his trance with the outdoors to see his best friend at his feet.

"Hey buddy, came to see the snow too?", Ash asked. Pikachu smiled.

"Pika! Pikachu", Pikachu replied. He then ran up Ash's body and took his usual perch on Ash's shoulder.

"Isn't it pretty out? No matter how many times I see this sight I always stop to cherish it", Ash explained. Pikachu nodded. Suddenly, Ash realized something. "Uh oh, I forgot, I have to call Dawn and Brock, you stay here Pikachu". Ash placed his companion down in front of the window and walked across the main lobby to the video phones. Meanwhile, in one of the many trainer spare bedrooms of the Pokemon Center laid a red headed girl, still sleeping. It was relatively early in the morning, about eight or nine o'clock, but Misty was always a late sleeper. Ash knew this and let her sleep while he got ready for the trip ahead. Resting near her, hidden completely inside of a colorful egg was her baby Pokemon Togepi. Although the years had passed and Togepi was a adult, it still retained it's baby like nature, such as the species does. Slowly, the small opening on top of the egg began to stir, and the little Pokemon's head popped out. It yawned and rubbed it's eyes. After looking around the bedroom for a moment, she walked over to the only window of the room. A leather blind covered the window to prevent light from entering the room. Togepi hopped onto the window sill and pulled down on the blind. After doing so, she released it and it quickly flew up to the ceiling, letting a enormous amount of light into the room in the process. Togepi then chirped happily as the red headed girl rubbed her eyes from the light. She sat up, still blinded slightly. Togepi chirped more.

"Mmm, ok, ok, I'm up Togepi", Misty said. The baby Pokemon then ran to Misty's side and hopped happily in her arms. "I liked it better when you were a baby, you would still be sleeping". Togepi giggled happily, as did Misty. She then looked over across the room to see that the other bed was empty. "Huh, I wonder where Ash is?", Misty asked. She stood up and placed her egg Pokemon down onto the bed. "I'm gonna get ready Togepi, you stay in here. And please, don't open the bathroom door while I'm taking a shower again. Ash nearly had a heart attack last time", Misty told Togepi. Togepi giggled at the memory. Misty picked up her clothes for the day and some morning utensils and walked into the bathroom kept by the entrance of the bedroom. She locked the door behind her, just in case Togepi forgot. After showering, changing, and preparing for the day, she stepped out of the shower, seeing her baby Pokemon looking out the window. Togepi turned and pointed out the window excitedly. Misty walked over and saw the snow fall. "Yeah, it snowed alot last night", Misty exclaimed. She then picked up Togepi. "Come on, let's get going". Misty left the bedroom and immediately headed for the main lobby, where her boyfriend was sure to be. As she walked in, she looked around. Nurse Joy was behind her desk, talking on the phone to another Pokemon Center. There were a few young children, (probably Pokemon trainers on their first journey), sitting around in seats throughout the main lobby. Talking to each other and enjoying hot co-co. But sitting close by, chatting to someone on a video phone was the one and only Ash Ketchum. Misty smiled, seeing her dark haired brown eyed love. She walked over, where she began to hear the conversation.

"So, are you sure you don't want to join us Dawn? We would be more than happy to welcome you and your mom over", Ash said, holding the phone and looking at a video screen. On the screen was a younger girl, wearing a cloth hat and sleeve-less shirt. This long, dark haired girl was Dawn, their newest friend and a Pokemon Coordinator.

"Sorry Ash, but me and my mom are hosting Christmas here with some family of our own. But maybe we'll give you a call on Christmas to say hi to everyone, if we're not to busy that is", Dawn said with a giggle. Ash nodded.

"Alright, we'll be sure to tell everyone there that you said hi, I'm sure May will be thrilled", Ash stated. Dawn nodded.

"Ok thanks, be sure to say Happy Holidays to Misty for me!", Dawn yelled. With this, Misty entered in on the conversation.

"Don't worry, he would probably forget anyway", Misty said with a smile. She took the phone out of Ash's hands, making him give her a annoyed look. Togepi during this hopped out of Misty's arms and ran over to see Pikachu and look at the snow.

"Hey Misty! Yeah, you're probably right, Ash's isn't exactly the most reliable person out there", Dawn said.

"HEY! I'M RIGHT HERE!", Ash yelled. Both Misty and Dawn laughed. Suddenly, someone in Dawn's background yelled. It was Dawn's mother.

"DAWN! I need your help with the Christmas cookies!", Dawn's mom yelled. Dawn looked behind her, towards the Kitchen.

"Alright, be there in a second!", Dawn yelled back. She then looked back to the video phone. "Sorry guys, I have to go. Have a great holiday season and I'll see you after New Years!". Misty and Ash nodded.

"Thanks, and you too", Misty replied.

"Bye", everyone said to each other. Dawn then hung up the phone. Afterwards Misty did the same.

"Are you all set to leave?", Ash asked. Misty nodded.

"Yeah, all I have to do is put my bags together, you?", Misty asked.

"All done, took care of it this morning. I called Brock and he said that he would meet us at my house", Ash explained. Misty looked quizzical.

"Isn't he gonna be with his family?", Misty asked. Ash shrugged.

"I guess not", Ash replied. Ash then stood up and held onto Misty's hand, something they had grown accustomed to. She smiled as Ash led her to the window, where Pikachu and Togepi were supposed to be. But once they got there, they realized that their Pokemon were missing. They looked around briefly for them until Misty looked out the window. She giggled.

"There they are, looks like they couldn't wait", Misty said. Ash looked outside to see Pikachu and Togepi playing in the snow. Pikachu was making a small snowman until Togepi threw a snowball at him. This caused him to fall into the snowman. Togepi giggled and danced around in joy as Pikachu laid there, covered head to paw in snow. Ash laughed.

"Poor Pikachu. Let's leave them there for now, we can pack your stuff up and then get going", Ash said. So with that, Ash and Misty walked back to their temporary bedroom, leaving Pikachu and Togepi to play in the snow. When they entered the room, Ash closed the door. Misty put her backpack onto her bed and began to put stuff in it. While she did so, Ash came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his head on Misty's shoulder and watched as she folded her old clothes. "Are you excited to see the gang again?", Ash asked. Misty nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, we haven't seen some of them in awhile", Misty responded. Ash turned his head and kissed Misty on the neck. Misty stopped folding her clothes and held onto the arms that were still wrapped around her waist.

"I love you", Ash said. Misty smiled and turned her head so that she could see Ash's face.

"I know...and I love you too", Misty replied. They then shared a quick kiss in the lips. A few minutes went by and Ash and Misty had finall finished packing. They grabbed their bags, cleaned up after themselves, and left the room, locking it afterwards. They then returned to the main lobby where Ash handed the room keys to Nurse Joy.

"Thank you Ash, you two have a safe trip home, and happy holidays", Nurse Joy said in her usual cheerful manner.

"Thanks, you too!", Ash and Misty replied. They walked outside where Pikachu and Togepi were still playing in the snow.

"Come on guys, we've got to get going, Pallet Town isn't that far from here, let's go home!", Ash said. Pikachu and Togepi turned to face them and cheered. They ran as quickly as they could to their respective trainers and then they were on their way. Although it was cold out, there was no wind and the snowfall wasn't very wet. The couple and their Pokemon enjoyed their walk through the Kanto countryside on their way home to the small town of Pallet, where their family and friends would be waiting for them. Ash and Misty were holding hands, while Misty's other hand held onto Togepi closely to her chest. Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder, as usual. The only noise they could hear were the sounds of their footprints crushing the snow on the ground and their occasional talking. After about half an hour, they soon reached a large hill where they could see Pallet Town. Ash looked at it and smiled.

"Ah, good ol' Pallet. How I've missed you", Ash said. Misty looked at him.

"They'll be time for remembering later, let's hurry and get home, your mom will be glad to see you", Misty stated. Ash nodded and then they all ran down the hill to the small town. Ash was the faster runner, but he kept pace with Misty as they ran past familiar homes and small businesses. On the way to Ash's house they also passed the home and laboratory of Prof. Oak. Because of the cold, no Pokemon could be seen outside, which did not surprise them. They did not stop running though and continued on their way. Soon, they could see their destination in view. Ash's small home was not very big, but quaint. Lights were hung around the side of the roof and a wreath was placed on the door. The fence post around Ash's house was covered in garland, which was also lit. Their running increased as they quickly made their way home. Ash and Misty stopped by the large window where they could see the tree, standing tall as always. As usual, there weren't any decorations on it, Mrs. Ketchum always left it bare for her son and friends to do. He put his face to the window to look closer. The fire was burning brightly in the fireplace and decorations were placed all over the house. Sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper was a tall man, just slightly older than Ash. He was dark skinned and although his face was slightly hidden by the paper, Ash could easily tell it was their friend Brock. He knocked on the glass. Brock lowered the paper and looked out to see Ash and Misty standing there. They and their Pokemon waved happily. Brock smiled and stood up while Ash and Misty ran to the door. A second passed and Brock opened the door.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!", Ash and Misty yelled.

"Pika!/Togi!", their Pokemon stated. Brock smiled.

"And a Merry Christmas to you too!", Brock said. He stepped aside so that they could walk in. As soon as they did, Brock closed the door. Before they could even get situated, a rather large and odd looking Pokemon ran out of the Kitchen and towards the young trainers. The colorful Pokemon was Mr. Mime, Mrs. Ketchum's personal Pokemon and helper around the house. Mr. Mime took Ash and Misty's jackets and brushed the snow off of them. He was about to take Ash's scarf off, but Ash pulled it off himself and handed it to him.

"Careful with that Mimey, that's special", Ash stated. Mr. Mime nodded with a smile and took it, carefully putting it ontop on the jackets. The words "Ash" were on it in gold italics. This was the same exact scarf that Misty had made for him four years ago, when they had Christmas together with Evan. "Shocked to see that you're not doing all of this Brock, you love helping out here", Ash said with a laugh while Mr. Mime helped Misty.

"Haha, yeah I was planning on helping out, but you know how Mr. Mime is. I figured I'd let him do it this time", Brock said.

"So now, how come you're not with your family? Not that I'm complaining, but I figured you would be", Ash asked. Brock shrugged his shoulders.

"I planned on it, but my mom made these plans to go on a cruise for Christmas. Dad and the kids weren't happy with it, but you know mom. Truth be told, I decided not to because I didn't want to deal with it, my mom's something else", Brock said, sweatdropping over the thought of his mom making all of these plans. Ash sweatdropped as well.

"Yeah, I guess that _would_ be weird", Ash replied.

"So you're going to be with us for Christmas? That sounds great!", Misty said as she held her arms up in the air to allow Mr. Mime to continue brushing snow off of her.

"Yep, and in fact, May and Max are here already as well", Brock said. Ash and Misty smiled.

"Oh, so they WERE able to make it!", Ash said. Brock nodded.

"Yep, them and their parents are staying at Prof. Oak's as usual", Brock explained.

"This is going to be a great Christmas!", Misty stated. Suddenly, a voice yelled out from the Kitchen.

"Is that Misty and Ash I hear!", this voice asked. They would recognize that voice anywhere. Before they could reply however, Mrs. Ketchum ran out of the Kitchen and ran towards them. "OH HELLO MISTY!", she said, hugging her son's girlfriend. Misty gladly hugged back.

"Good to see you again Mrs. Ketchum", Misty replied. Mrs. Ketchum giggled.

"Oh deary, you know by now that you can call me Delia", Mrs. Ketchum said. Misty laughed. She then released Misty and ran to her only child. "And Ash, oh how you've grown! How are you sweety? Are you doing ok?". Ash blushed slightly from embarrassment.

"Yes mom, I'm just fine", Ash said. Pikachu, who had just dodged the hug for fear of being suffocated, waved to Delia.

"Pikapika!", Pikachu yelled with a smile. Mrs. Ketchum picked up Pikachu and gave him a hug.

"Oh, and of course I couldn't forget about you Pikachu! Come, I have food for you and Togepi already set. The apples from the apple tree grew in nicely this year, I saved a bunch just for you!", Delia said. Pikachu's eyes grew glassy in excitement. Delia picked up Togepi and then walked towards the Kitchen with the Pokemon. "I'll be with you kids shortly, just as soon as I get food in their little tummys. They're cookies on the table over there for you", Delia said. She then disappeared into the Kitchen. Mr. Mime went into the other room, to place Ash and Misty's jackets in the closet. Ash laughed.

"Leave it to mom to have food for us already", Ash said. With that, Ash, Misty, and Brock took their seats in the living room. Brock sat in the same spot where he was before, the newspaper still on his side. Misty and Ash sat on the love seat. "So how long have you been here so far?", Ash asked.

"I just got here last night. I wanted to leave ahead of you guys because I didn't know what was going on with my family. When I got there, they told me what was going on. So they left, I took care of the Pokemon and closed down the gym, and then I showed up here yesterday", Brock explained. Ash and Misty nodded in understanding. "So I take it Dawn wasn't able to join us?". Misty shook her head.

"She's staying in Sinnoh with her mom, they're hosting their own Christmas", Misty explained.

"Ah, I figured as much. She wouldn't want to be away from her family", Brock said.

"Do you know how long May and Max have been here?", Ash asked.

"I guess they came in today, probably like, a few hours before you did. They're settling in now but they might come over later", Brock explained. Ash leaned over and took one of the many cookies from the plate on the table. They were all in Christmas shapes, Santas, stockings, candy canes, etc. Ash nibbled on the top of a Christmas tree as he looked up at the real one beside them.

"So when are we gonna start decorating the tree?", Ash asked. Brock stood up.

"I waited for you guys, we can do that now if you want", Brock said.

"Sure, it will be fun", Misty stated. She then stood up, Ash followed.

"We'll have to put the lights in first, where are they?", Brock asked as he looked around. Delia had left out all of the boxes filled with the things for the tree, but she didn't specify which ones were what. It didn't take long for them to find them however.

"Here they are", Ash said, pulling out the green wired lights. These lights were colored ones.

"Ok, let's start", Brock said. Ash handed him the lights and they began to string them around and through the tree. It took them some time to make the lights nicely situated onto the tree, but when they were done they were proud of themselves. After that, Misty grabbed some ribbon and wrapped it around the tree herself, (using Ash for support to the higher levels). Afterwards, they placed the ornaments on the tree. These ornaments varied from different styles and colors. This took them some time for there were alot of ornaments. After a quick break where Delia supplied them with lunch, they went back to work. After a half an hour, there was very little left to do. As Misty and Brock placed more ornaments on, Ash looked around and found a smaller box. He immediately knew what was inside of it and picked it up. He looked at it intensely, remembering the meaning of the item in this box. He took a deep breath and placed his hand on top of the box Once he did, he opened it and suddenly, a bright white light came out of the box and lit the entire room. Misty and Brock stopped what they were doing to see what the cause of the light was. They turned to see the box that Ash had opened and smiled. Ash put his hand into the box and pulled out a beautiful, out of worldly Christmas star, which shined brightly. He released it, and it began to float just barely in Ash's hand. He carefully handed the star to Misty and then looked into the box again. Inside of it was a note. He picked it up and read it, something he had done tons of times before. "Remember, seeing is believing". Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Ash looked over at the door and then at Misty and Brock. They were still holding onto the ornaments and star.

"You're busy, I got it", Ash said. He placed the box down and quickly ran over to the front door. He wiped the cookie crumbs off of his attire and then opened the door. Once he did, he stood back a bit, slightly shocked. He had expected May and Max to be at the door, instead the only thing he could see was a large umbrella, which was open and took up the entire front door space. Ash looked down and couldn't even make out the shoes of whoever was at the door because of the size of the umbrella. "Uhm...", Ash said. Suddenly, the umbrella was lifted back into the air.

"Mind if we join you?", the umbrella owner said. Ash stared at the person in front of him, unable to believe what he was seeing. Standing there in plain view, still holding the umbrella, was a man about their age, but he was wearing tattered clothes. His Green Jacket and ripped pants with a messy looking hat were unmistakable. The man smiled and waved. "Long time no see...Ash", the man said. Ash gawked.

"It...it can't be...Evan!", Ash yelled. The man smiled cheerfully.

"The one and only", Evan said. Ash's eyes widened and he smiled greatly.

"I can't believe it! It's you! Evan's here!", Ash yelled. Inside, Brock looked back towards the door in shock.

"Evan!", Brock yelled. He turned around to try to move to the door, but unfortunately, he forgot that he was balancing Misty on his shoulder to get ornaments on top of the tree. So by turning around, Misty lost her balance.

"Woah, woah, AAAAHHHHH!", Misty yelled. Soon, she toppled over Brock and the two of them crashed into the floor and over boxes. Ash sweatdropped, but immediately shook it off and brought his attention to Evan once more.

"Wow, I can't believe it you're here! I'd never think we'd see you again!", Ash said. Evan smiled.

"Well, it's been awhile, so I figured I'd stop by to see you all again", Evan replied. "Oh, where are my manners, I forgot to introduce you to someone special!". He then stepped to the side and turned to his right. Ash turned to see that standing next to Evan this entire time was a person. How he missed her he doesn't know. She had long red hair with waves to them. A clean, freckle-less face and bright blue eyes. In her hair was a green ribbon that covered the top of her head just slightly and kept her long hair in check. She wore a red Christmas jacket that was soft and furry to the touch. White puffs of faux fur were at the sleeve ends and bottom of the jacket. Large black buttons kept the jacket closed. She also wore black leg stockings and black dress shoes. Around her arm and hanging down was a silky red purse, with a gold zipper closing it. She smiled a small yet innocent smile, showing her pearly white teeth. "This is Holly, a dear friend of mine", Evan said introducing the girl. She bowed.

"It's nice to meet you Ash, I've heard great things about you", Holly said. Ash smiled and bowed back.

"It's great to meet you too. Please, come in, it's great to see you!", Ash said back to Evan. Holly thanked Ash and stepped inside, Evan closed the umbrella and followed. When they entered Ash closed the door. Evan handed the umbrella to Holly, (which he presumed was hers. Unlike Evan's attire, the umbrella was clean and fancy) "Guys, look who it is!", Ash said. By this time Misty and Brock had just gotten up and looked to see Evan. They gasped and ran to him.

"EVAN!", Misty and Brock yelled. Evan smiled and waved.

"Hello", Evan replied. Misty and Brock smiled in joy and hugged him. Hearing the commotion from the other room, Mrs. Ketchum, Pikachu, and Togepi walked out of the Kitchen. Upon seeing the company, Pikachu and Togepi immediately ran to the door.

"Oh my! Evan! I never expected to see you again! How are you deary!", Delia asked both stunned and pleased. Evan could not help but laugh at the hospitality and shock shown by everyone.

"I'm doing just fine thank you", Evan replied. Evan bent down to pick up Pikachu "And hello Pikachu, I see you haven't forgotten me, not surprising since Pokemon never do". Pikachu smiled. Holly bent down and picked up Togepi.

"You are just adorable! Togepi are rare Pokemon...you've raised a wonderful Pokemon Misty", Holly commented, petting the egg Pokemon softly on the head. Togepi chirped happily and Holly giggled. Misty walked up to Holly.

"Well thank you, I've raised her since she was just born...but wait, how did you know she was mine...and for that matter, how did you know my name?", Misty asked curiously. Holly giggled more. Evan realized that he had forgotten to introduce her to them.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot, this is Holly, she's a close friend of mine, she has been for quite some time in fact", Evan explained. Holly bowed again.

"Hello", Holly responded. Ash discretely leaned over to Evan and whispered in her ear.

"So, does she know about who you _really _are?", Ash asked, not trying to bring attention to the question just in case she did not know. Holly looked at Ash, still petting Togepi.

"About Evan being an angel? And his job of being the spirit of Christmas? Yes, I've known for quite some time", Holly replied. Ash collapsed at the failure of being discrete. Holly giggled. "It's sort of hard not to notice when you live the way I do". Everyone looked at her confused. Brock suddenly leaned over to Holly, holding onto her hand.

"Oh Holly, what a wonderful name!", Brock said. Holly looked at him slightly confused. Brock then got down on one knee, but kept holding her hand. "Come, why don't we roast chestnuts over a open fire and deck the halls!". Before Brock's Croagunk could even get out of his Pokeball, Evan sighed and flicked his wrist towards Brock. As he did so, snow magically appeared out of nowhere and smacked Brock in the face. This caused him to release Holly's hand and fall to the floor. Mrs. Ketchum and Togepi giggled while Ash, Misty, and Pikachu sweatdropped.

"Sorry Brock, but I'm afraid I can;t let you do that, not to Holly at least", Evan explained.

"Not trying to defend Brock here, but how come?", Ash asked.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Holly is someone special, and I'm tasked with watching over her for the holiday season", Evan said.

"Wait, does this relate to you mentioning the way you live?", Misty asked Holly. She placed Togepi gently down onto the floor, and then stood back up. She then nodded.

"Exactly", Holly replied. Evan walked up closer to Holly.

"You see, Holly's full name is actually Holly _Clause_", Evan explained. Everyone looked at Evan confused.

"Holly...Clause?", Ash asked. Brock sat up, the snow mostly melted off his face. He and everyone else looked at Holly.

"Wait, does that mean...", Misty said. Holly nodded.

"Yes, I am the daughter of Santa Clause", Holly finished explaining. Everyone looked at Holly, completely shocked.

"THE DAUGHTER OF SANTA CLAUSE!", everyone yelled. Holly nodded. Brock stood up now.

"Well I guess the name fits, "Holly", just like the Christmas plant", Brock said. Holly smiled.

"My parents thought it was the cutest name", Holly said.

"Wow, hard to believe", Ash said.

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Clause had been married for many many years, so it's not surprising that they had a daughter", Evan explained.

"I'm the only child though, they felt that it would be too complicated to have more Clauses' on Earth with our capabilities.

"Oh! So that's how you knew so much about us!", Misty said. Holly nodded.

"Yes, like dad, I too have some unique abilities. I've also helped my dad with his list for awhile, so I got to know people", Holly explained. Evan stepped up.

"And as expected, Holly is next in line to take the job of Santa, so it's important to watch over her", Evan explained. Holly giggled and looked at Evan.

"You know you don't have to worry about it that much, I can take care of myself", Holly said. Evan shook with head with a smile. "He's always been like that, trying to protect me. But I like to live freely. Unlike my parents, I never got to experience what it was like to be a normal human. I've always been surrounded by nothing but Elves and Rein-deers. My parents believed that it was important to know what it was like, so they let me come down here to experience it first hand, and Evan was asked to watch over me". Evan nodded.

"We've been friends since children, so it was a easy choice for Santa", Evan explained.

"But wait, Evan is centuries old...how old are _you_ Holly?", Brock asked. Holly looked up to the ceiling, putting a finger on her chin. She thought it over.

"Hmm, good question...I would have to say, a thousand...give or take a century or two", Holly determined. Everyone collapsed.

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Clause are much older than that, as you know, they age much slower, so naturally Holly would too. And the same goes for me in fact", Evan explained. Brock slumped over depressed.

"I guess then you're a little out of my age group then", Brock said. He then sighed, a mushroom looking cloud coming out of his mouth. Holly patted Brock on the back in sympathy.

"Don't worry Brock, you would be surprised how many girls would like you on this planet", Holly said. Misty shrugged.

"I guess SOMEONE would have to", Misty said jokingly. Brock slumped over more, which only made everyone giggle. Just then, Mr. Mime walked over and offered to take Holly's umbrella. Holly looked at Mr Mime and smiled.

"Oh you don't have to worry about this", Holly said. She then unzipped her purse and pulled it slightly apart. After doing so, she lifted the umbrella and, to everyone's surprise, slid the entire thing into her purse without any problem. She then zipped the purse closed.

"How did you do that!", Misty asked, pointing to her purse. Holly looked quizzically at her and then realized what she meant.

"Oh, yes. Well, this purse has the same magical capabilities as my dad's present sack. It can hold countless items and not lose it's shape or increase in size. Mine's just more...fashionable than his", Holly explained. She then giggled. "He has such a older style, he always gets a crack out of my "hip" sense of fashion". Mrs. Ketchum giggled.

"Well this day is just full of surprises! If I didn't know Evan so well, this whole thing would make me think I'm going crazy! Well then, come on in you two, I just made a fresh batch of cookies, we'll need to get you filled up!", Delia decided.

"Thank you Delia! My mom told me that you would be just like her!", Holly explained. Delia was flattered to say the least, being compared to someone like Mrs. Clause. As Holly walked into the Kitchen with Delia and the Pokemon, Evan looked over and saw the Christmas star on the couch. He smiled.

"Well that looks awfully familiar", Evan said. Ash noticed what he was looking at and smiled.

"Well it should. We were just about to put it up, would you like to do the honors?", Ash asked. Evan smiled.

"I would love to!", Evan replied. He then walked over to the couch. He bent down and lifted the star with one hand. Evan brought it up to face level and looked at it carefully. He poked it with his free hand and it began to glow brightly, as if it was awakened. Evan smiled and gently tossed it to the top of the tree. The star flew to the top and then situated itself to the top branch. As soon as it did, it began to sparkle. Evan smiled and looked back to the gang. "You know, I never get tired of that!", Evan said cheerfully.

**Alright, I finished the first chapter. Please tell me what you think, I am curious how I am doing on my first completely out of my head story. I would recommend re-reading "Christmas" to understand what's to expect in this story, but after reading it myself, I don't want you to suffer. Although this is out of my head, I had thought of a sequel for "Christmas" for a few years now. I just never got to it because I was always busy with a story around December time. The first thing I thought about for a sequel was Holly and her background. I am looking forward to developing her character, I think she will become one of my favorite OCs ever! Now then, please, review, favorite, alert, and enjoy!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	2. Dec 23rd Trip to Cerulean City

**Hello once again everyone! So far so good, it seems like everyone is loving the sequel, that's good! Hopefully I can get this over with by Christmas time. Then I'll take a nice deserved break from writing, for maybe a week, a few days in the least. I have been trying hard to make up for lost time, 3 new stories up within a couple months! Well until then, I shall stay here and continue to work hard on this one. Hopefully this will get you all into the Christmas spirit, I know it does for me!**

**-EVAN AAML**

The aroma of fresh baked cookies filled the house. Mrs. Ketchum had just opened the oven and pulled out a tray full of them, being careful with the oven mitts. She slowly placed them on top of the oven and then closed the oven door. After doing so, she grabbed a spatula and scooped the cookies off of the baking tray and onto a plate. She then placed the plate onto the Kitchen table, where a few more plates filled with cookies were located.

"Be sure to eat up now!", Mrs. Ketchum said cheerfully. Holly grabbed one of the fresh cookies and nibbled on it, hers was a candy cane.

"Thank you so much for the cookies Delia, as you can imagine I'm used to eating them", Holly said. Mrs. Ketchum smiled.

"Don't mention it deary, but if you do wish to try something different, just be sure to let me know, I'll be glad to make something else", Mrs. Ketchum replied. Holly smiled.

"Thank you, I will!", Holly responded.

"Ok, I'm gonna go take care of some laundry upstairs, you all enjoy!", Mrs. Ketchum stated to the house guests. She then walked out of the Kitchen and up the stairs, Mr. Mime quickly followed. Holly, Misty, the Pokemon, and Brock sat at the table while Ash leaned against a counter near the back door that lead to the garden. Evan leaned by the Kitchen door. All of them were eating cookies. Misty looked up at Evan.

"So Evan, just out of curiosity, why did you come visit again? I thought you had a mission to spread Christmas cheer; you already did for us, so why return?", Misty asked. Evan finished off his stocking cookie.

"You're right, I do have a job to do that, and technically I should be somewhere else. But since this is Holly's first Christmas in the normal world, I figured she might want to be with people she would like to celebrate it with. Most of the people I have visited are either too old or young to fit her personality, so I thought that here would be the best choice", Evan explained. Holly nodded.

"And he picked a good place! I'm glad I came. Although I'm really old, as to be expected, those who liver shorter lives tend to mature much quicker. So although I am currently one of the two oldest people in Kanto, I am still the maturity of a typical teenager. So I needed to celebrate with people who share my maturity", Holly also explained. Brock nodded.

"That makes sense, you need to both blend in with the people around you _and_ be able to enjoy it in the process", Brock said. Both Evan and Holly nodded.

"So Evan, did you miss us? Or did you forget about us because of all the people you help?", Ash asked. Evan laughed.

"I never forget the people I help. I remember visiting families centuries ago, and I miss everyone. To be honest though, it is a very rare occurrence when I actually see people for a second time. You all are one of the few", Evan said.

"I guess then we should feel honored", Ash joked. Evan shook his head.

"No, not in the least, I am not someone to be honored or worshipped, although some people have tried over the years. I am merely a messenger of sorts", Evan said. Holly looked at Evan.

"Well I think you need to relax for a change! It's the best time of the year and you're always working! And I barely get to see you throughout the rest of the year! I think you need to lighten up, and eat a cookie!", Holly said as she threw a Christmas tree cookie towards Evan. He caught it quickly. Misty giggled.

"It looks like you two have been friends for awhile!", Misty said. Holly smiled.

"Yeah, me and Evan have known each other for awhile!", Holly said. "With my abilities, I wasn't able to hang out with any ordinary people. Elves behave differently than people and age differently. So I needed to be around someone who aged the same as I did". Evan nodded.

"Unlike Holly though, I wasn't born with these abilities, I was sort of...given them", Evan explained. Everyone seemed confused.

"What do you mean?", Ash asked. Brock nodded.

"I think I understand", Brock said. Ash and Misty looked at Brock.

"How so?", Misty asked. Brock looked up at Evan.

"Evan's a angel, which means that technically he isn't even alive in our world", Brock explained. Evan nodded.

"I was born as a normal human about a thousand years ago, I lived my life up till about your age now. Then I passed on and became an angel. But because I believed so strongly in the true meaning of Christmas, and because I happen to die on the same day, Santa sort of, how should I say...gave me a job", Evan told. "He asked me to go to Earth and spread the true meaning of Christmas, something I was more than willing to accept. So from that day on, I became the spirit of Christmas. I had died around the time Holly was a teenager, so we got to "grow up" together".

"Wow, that's alot to take in...but wait, if that's the case, doesn't that mean?", Misty asked. Holly nodded, understanding her question.

"Even though it will take me a long time, I will eventually age whereas he will remain the same forever", Holly said, sort of sadly.

"Oh, that's so sad!", Misty said sympathetically.

"It will be hard seeing myself grow old while my best friend stays the same, but I have to enjoy the time we've got together now! Right Evan!", Holly asked. Evan nodded with a smile.

"Right!", Evan replied. Misty suddenly stood up.

"And I'm gonna help you do it!", Misty said. Everyone looked at Misty oddly.

"Mist, what do you mean?", Ash asked. Misty looked at him.

"We're gonna use these few days to make sure they have a great time together!", Misty decided, determined. Brock and Ash nervously chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm, but Holly smiled.

"Well thank you Misty!", Holly said. Misty nodded.

"It's not fair what you have to go through, and while we can't do anything about it, we'll make sure that you have fun while you can!", Misty exclaimed. Having finished her rant, Misty sat down and looked at the plate of cookies. She took one for herself, and then handed another to Holly. She was about to take it, but then noticed it and stopped. Misty looked at her puzzled. "It's not you, I just...have a thing about eating my dad's face", Holly said. Misty looked onto the plate and saw that the cookie was one of Santa. Misty sweatdropped.

"Oh, right, here then", Misty said, handing Holly a star cookie. She nibbled on it quietly. After the cookies were eaten, Ash and the others went back into the living room and helped with more decorations. Ash, Brock, and Misty were stunned at Holly's cheerful nature towards the decorating. They would of thought that living with Santa all her life, she would grow tired of such things she did every day. But she hung things up and fancied the place with as much joy as someone who only did it once a year. In fact, she made Ash's house look better than normal.

"Wow, you are great at decorating Holly!", Ash said. Holly looked at Ash while she hung garland around the fireplace.

"Well thank you Ash. My parents said I had a good taste of decorating. I enjoy doing it", Holly explained. She then backed away from the garland and looked at it carefully. She thought over something. "Hmm...it's missing something...AHA! I know!". Holly then waved her hand along the length of the garland. As she did, white Christmas lights were magically placed through the garland. When she was done, the fireplace sparkled with a white glow from the lights. Holly then pulled a red ribbon out of now where, (like a magician). "And for the finishing touches". Holly tied the ribbon into a bow at the center of the garland, over the mouth of the fireplace. She stood back and smiled.

"Wow, that's so pretty Holly!", Misty said. Holly smiled. Over on the other side of the room, Evan was on the floor helping Pikachu play with Togepi. As he did so, he looked over and saw Misty and Holly. He smiled when he caught a glimpse of Holly giggling, her innocent face sparkling from the lights of the room. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Misty ran over to answer it. "I got it!", Misty stated. No sooner than she answered it than did she fall backwards onto the floor, a young girl on top of her. She smiled brightly, her green bandanna dangling over Misty's face.

"MISTY! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!", the girl yelled. Misty looked up to see who it was.

"MAY!", Misty yelled back. Suddenly, a head poked out from the wide open front door. This head had a big pair of glasses on.

"And Max too!", Max said smiling cheekily. Evan stood up and looked over to May and Max as the others approached.

"Hey guys, thought you'd be here sooner or later", Ash stated. Max walked in completely. May looked over to Ash.

"Yeah, we ran over as soon as we got some free time", May explained. Misty looked up at her.

"Well, if you don't mind, could you get off, there's someone who you might like to see", Misty said, stretching her arm out to the back. May looked towards where she was pointing, not yet getting off of Misty. There, she saw Evan standing there. Evan gave a small wave.

"Long time no see!", Evan said. May's eyes widened and her mouth slightly ajar.

"No way", May whispered softly in dis-belief. She then stood up and ran to Evan. "NO WAY! EVAN!". May ran into Evan, giving him a big hug. "It's so great to see you again!". Now Max ran up and ran into Evan.

"EVAN!", Max yelled. Evan hugged the both of them back as well as he could.

"It's great to see both of you again", Evan said. Evan tried to escape the hug, but May and Max held on tighter and tighter. Soon, Evan was having difficulty breathing. He sighed and suddenly, he disappeared in a flurry of snow and instantly reappeared next to Holly by the fireplace. May and Max stood there, looking from where Evan was to where Evan is now.

"Wow, that never gets old!", Max said. As Holly giggled at Evan's escape, Evan directed their attention towards her.

"I would like to introduce you to Holly, a good friend of mine", Evan said. Holly stepped forward and held her hand out.

"Nice to see you face to face May, Max", Holly said. Before she had time to react, May ran straight to her and gawked at her.

"Wow! You have a beautiful outfit!", May said. Holly sweatdropped and giggled.

"Hehe, well thank you. It's the latest fashion from the north pole", Holly said showing off her outfit. Max stepped forward.

"Wait, did you say north pole?", Max asked. Holly smiled.

"Yep", Holly replied. May stood up with a puzzled face.

"I don't get it, no one lives up there but", before May could finish, Holly interrupted.

"Me and my family, I'm Holly Claus", Holly said. May and Max gasped.

"HOLLY CLAUS! YOU'RE SANTA'S DAUGHTER!", May and Max yelled. Holly giggled.

"Yep, May, for Christmas four years ago Santa got you a Dratini, and Evan delivered it to you. And Max, you got a Natu. Of course, both of your Pokemon evolved by now", Holly said. May and Max gasped again.

"Wow! Yeah, Dratini evolved into a Dragonair, she's at the gym with the rest of the Pokemon", May said. Max nodded.

"Yeah, and Natu evolved into Xatu!", Max commented.

"Such is the "talent" of the young Miss Claus", Evan said with sarcasm hinted at the word talent. Holly stuck her tongue out at Evan.

"So Holly, why are you and Evan here?", May asked. Ash stepped in.

"We'll explain everything later, there's alot to it", Ash decided. Max looked at Ash.

"Well we've got time", Max replied. May looked down at Max and smacked him upside the head. Everyone sweatdropped.

"NO WE DON'T! WE HAVE TO GO SHOPPING REMEMBER!", May yelled. Max cowered and held his head.

"SORRY! I FORGOT!", Max yelled back.

"You guys need to go shopping?", Brock asked. May looked to him.

"Yeah, that's why we came over. We wanted to know if you all wanted to come as well", May explained.

"Well, I do still need to get some stuff for people", Ash realized.

"Alright it's settled then! You can all come with us!", May yelled.

"Ok then, let me tell my mom what's going on", Ash said. He the walked upstairs.

"Oh wait, we still have to say hi to your mom!", May realized. Her and Max then followed. Afterwards everyone was prepared to leave. Brock had taken the Pewter Gym's work car to Ash's house, so everyone rode in that. It was a dark colored SUV that just held seven people. Pikachu sat on Ash's lap while Togepi sat on Misty's lap. Because Pallet Town was so small, it did not have any good shopping places. The closest city with a mall in fact was Cerulean. Although walking there would take a long time, driving there would only take about a half an hour. Ash had not realized it, but they built a road around Mt. Moon since he had last gone through it, making travel much quicker. As they arrived to Cerulean, they were looking for the mall.

"It's at the center of the city, not too far away from the gym in fact", Misty told Brock. He nodded and followed her directions. "Actually, if it's ok with you, could we stop by the gym first, I haven't seen my sisters in awhile".

"Sure, no problem. I have to go that way anyway", Brock said. Misty smiled.

"Great!", Misty said. She then leaned over, resting her head on Ash's shoulder. "They'll be happy to see you too". Ash smiled.

"I'm sure they will be", Ash said. He then kissed Misty on the head. Evan looked back from his seat and smiled. He could tell that his work from last time had still come through for them. After a few minutes, they had arrived at the Cerulean Gym. The familiar Dewgong over the top blended in with the snow around them. The whole area seemed to be empty, no trainers looking for a badge or people coming to see a show. When they pulled up to the front door, Misty seemed to grow nervous.

"I hope they're excited to see me, we all haven't always been exactly close as siblings", Misty explained. Holly looked back at Misty and smiled.

"Don't worry, they will be", Holly said. Misty seemed confused.

"How do you know?", Misty asked.

"Do you know what they asked for for Christmas this year? The same thing they did the last few years. They all asked that you would visit them and that you could all celebrate the holidays as a family", Holly explained. Misty gasped slightly. Although she knew that her sisters loved her, she did not realize that they asked to be together as a family for Christmas. She aways presumed that things like clothes and makeup were more important than family. This however made her smile.

"Thanks Holly", Misty replied. Holly merely nodded back. Brock then unbuckled his seat belt.

"Well, shall we go in then?", Brock asked. The others nodded. They exited the car and walked towards the front door. But before they reached the glass doors, Ash stopped; causing everyone else to do the same.

"What's the matter?", Misty asked. Ash turned to face the others.

"I just realized, your sisters weren't with us for Christmas four years ago, they don't know who Evan is or what he's capable of, let alone Holly", Ash realized. The others saw his point.

"Hmm, that could be a problem", Brock said thinking out loud.

"Well maybe they won't be too shocked. I mean, we all managed to stay mentally sane after finding out", May said, almost jokingly.

"I'm sure they will take the news just fine", Evan said. Ash shrugged and opened the glass doors. The warm air of the gym blew into his face, warming him instantly. He stepped aside and allowed everyone else to walk in before closing the door behind him. Everyone stood there for a moment, warming up from the outside. When they had finished, Misty stepped forward.

"HELLOOOOO!", Misty yelled out. There was no immediate answer. Misty looked back to the others.

"Maybe they're not home?", May asked. Suddenly, there was a response.

"We're like, not open!", someone called out. Misty smiled.

"Does that mean that your favorite sibling has to leave!", Misty yelled back. Some noise could be heard, although no one was quite sure of what it was. Just then, a tall, blond, and beautiful looking girl ran out from the side of the gym and into the main lobby. Immediately, she spotted her younger sister and gasped in joy. She screamed and ran to Misty. Just before Daisy reached her, Misty handed Togepi over to Ash. The blond girl then quickly embraced her.

"LIKE, BABY SISTER!", the blonde girl yelled out. Misty hugged back.

"DAISY!", Misty responded. Daisy loosened her grip on Misty but remained in the hug. She looked down at her and smiled.

"Like, it's so good to see you! We're were all like, hoping you would come home", Daisy said. She then looked over to Ash, who was still holding Togepi. Pikachu stood on his shoulder. Ash smiled and waved. "And if it isn't our little Pokemon Master to be! Like, how are you?", Daisy said. Ash smiled.

"I am doing well thank you", Ash replied. Daisy walked over and picked up Togepi.

"Well that's good to hear, are you taking good care of my little sister?", Daisy said suspiciously. Misty blushed.

"Daisy!", Misty yelled Daisy giggled. She then lifted Togepi in the air.

"And how's my favorite little baby doing!", Daisy asked in a baby tone. Togepi chirped happily. Daisy then looked over to Pikachu and smiled. "And hello to you too cutie!". She gave Pikachu a little rub under the chin and Pikachu purred to the feel. Daisy turned around and noticed Brock. "And like, hello to you too Brock". Suddenly, Brock dove to Daisy's side.

"And hello to you too Daisy, my beautiful flower!", Brock responded. Misty immediatly grabbed onto Brock's ear and pulled him away.

"Not to my sister you don't!", Misty yelled. Daisy looked confused as everyone else sweatdropped. When Brock was taken away, Daisy looked over and noticed May, Max, Evan, and Holly.

"Hmm, I like, don't recognize you four", Daisy said. Ash pointed to May and Max.

"Well, this is May and Max, they're siblings. We traveled together in the Hoenn region, and then again around Kanto for my Battle Frontier challenge", Ash explained.

"Oh, I know you now! Misty's told me alot about you. If I recall, you're a Pokemon Coordinator, and you're like, a little genius", Daisy said. May and Max smiled.

"Yep, that's us", May said.

"Got us down down to a "T"", Max replied. Daisy then looked to Evan and Holly.

"And you two?", Daisy asked. This time Misty did the introductions.

"This is...Evan and Holly, they're friends of ours not from the area", Misty explained. Evan smiled and waved. Holly removed her pure white mittens and walked over to shake Daisy's hand.

"Pleasure to finally see you face to face Daisy", Holly said. Daisy smiled and shook her hand.

"I love you're outfit, it's gorgeous! But like, what do you mean by finally meet face to face?", Daisy asked. Holly smiled.

"Oh, I've just been a big fan of your shows. I watch them on t.v.", Holly explained. Daisy nodded.

"I see, so, where do you both live?", Daisy asked.

"Haha, I guess you could say we live a bit north of here", Evan said with a chuckle. Daisy didn't quite get what was so funny about it, but shrugged it off. She then walked over to Misty and handed Togepi back to her.

"Well like, let's not just stand here, come on, Lily and Violet will flip when they see you", Daisy said to Misty. She then directed everyone inside. They walked out of the main lobby and through a hall to the open pool. May and Max looked around in awe at the way the whole room was decorated Christmas style. However they did not get to stay very long, as Daisy kept moving them along. They walked past the pool and through a set of doors to their left. Once they did they walked down a short hall and took a right where they found themselves in a big Kitchen. Inside, a pink haired girl was shaping what appeared to be candy canes over a large counter. Another girl, this one violet haired, was bending over a stove, where she was melting something in a pot.

"Girls, like, look who came to visit!", Daisy said. Both girls turned to see Misty and the others. They gasped and ran to Misty.

"Like, Misty!", the violet haired girl yelled out.

"It's like, so good to see you!", the pink haired girl yelled. Misty hugged them back in a smile.

"It's great to see you all again!", Misty said happily. Everyone watched as the Waterflower sisters enjoyed their reunion together. Misty released her sisters and stood back. She then looked at everything going on in the Kitchen. "So you're all making the candy canes?". Lily and Violet stepped back and showed off their work.

"Yeah, like we always do", Lily said.

"It's like, a tradition for the us to make homemade candy canes for the Christmas shows", Violet said.

"Wow! That's so cool!", Max said amazed. Daisy smiled and handed Max one of the completed candy canes. Max put the end of the candy cane in his mouth and smiled, his eyes wide. "This is amazing! This tastes better than the one you buy at the store!".

"Well of course!", Daisy said with a smile.

"Like, everything tastes better when it's homemade!", Lily said.

"Especially when it's like, something sweet!", Violet answered. Holly smiled and looked at the work that the Waterflowers made.

"This is great, you don't see people making things like candy canes homemade anymore, I'm one of the few families that I know who does it the old fashioned way, it sort of makes my dad sad this time of year", Holly said. The Waterflowers looked at Holly confused.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced", Violet said.

"Are these all friends of yours Misty?", Lily asked. Misty smiled.

"Yep, this is Holly, Evan, May, and Max", Misty said introducing the unfamiliar friends.

"Oh yeah, I remember May and Max, you guys traveled together in Hoenn right?", Lily asked. May and Max nodded.

"So then are you new friends?", Vioelt asked Holly and Evan. Evan stepped forward.

"I'm not, I met them before, a few years ago, Holly is a friend of mine that I brought up to meet them this year", Evan explained. The girls nodded in understanding.

"Hmm, well what exactly did you mean by your dad being sad this year? Does your dad work as a Santa at a mall or something?", Daisy asked. Holly thought for a moment. She knew that these girls wouldn't take the news as lightly as everyone else, especially since they didn't know Evan.

"Well, I guess you can say that", Holly said. Evan walked up to Holly.

"Holly, I think we should tell them", Evan said. Holly turned her head to see Evan. They shared eye contact for a moment before Holly nodded.

"Alright...could you girls follow us, we have something to show you", Holly said, bringing her attention back to the Waterflowers. They all seemed confused and looked to Misty. Misty nodded, telling them that it was ok. The girls turned to face Holly and nodded in agreement. They turned off the stove and then Holly and Evan lead the entire gang out towards the gym pool. Because of the money the gym earned from their challenges and shows, they made the stadium custom to their needs. This included being able to hide the seats to the stadium. All of the seats would hide inside the walls or floor and then pop up when needed. Although all of them could be hidden, the Waterflowers always left a row out for those who watched their friends challenge the gym leaders. Everyone sat down on this lone bleacher seat while Evan stood in front of the gang, mostly in front of the Waterflower sisters. They looked at him, not sure as to what they were planning. Evan looked towards them.

"Now, I should warn you, this will probably be a little bit shocking", Evan said. The girls nodded, prepared for the worst. Evan then looked at Holly. She nodded, which caused Evan to nod back to her. He then cupped his hands together. The girls watched as he looked intently at his hands, wondering what he was up to. Suddenly, a white light shined through the cracks in Evan's fingers. The Waterflowers looked on in complete shock as Evan smiled. He opened his hands and a bright white light was floating in them. After a few seconds, the light began to take shape, turning and spinning until it formed into a beautiful star. Evan thought for a moment as to what to do with this newly created star. He turned around and noticed the open pool behind him. With one turn and might swing, Evan threw his star into the water. Surprisingly, the star did not splash when it hit the water, but simply went under water. All of the water Pokemon in the pool circled and swam around the star, wondering what it was and how it got there. The star stopped sinking in the middle of the pool and started to spin slowly. The Pokemon watched as the spinning increased and the star grew brighter. Because of the luminescent glow, the water made the ceiling glow and move, as if it was alive. The girls watched in complete shock as everyone else looked on in amazement. Evan smiled and turned around to face the others. "So...what do you think?", Evan asked. Holly stood up and waked over to the girls, who's mouths were wide open and their eyes bugging out of their heads.

"You see...Evan isn't exactly human. Evan's...an angel...uhm, I mean, he's not an _angel_, like in personality, well, he is, but...uhm...", Holly said. She suddenly began to blush and nervously look down to the ground. Holly had never had a problem discussing about Evan until now, and she was not sure why she was acting this way. Misty stood up and helped Holly.

"You see, Evan's _literally _an angel, he's the spirit of Christmas, we met him four years ago and he came back to visit this year", Misty explained. The girls nodded, although Misty didn't think they quite got over it all. Suddenly, they shook their heads, as if getting their senses back.

"WAIT! HE'S THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS!", Daisy yelled.

"HOW CAN THAT BE POSSIBLE!", Lily yelled afterwards.

"THEN WHO ARE YOU!", Violet yelled at Holly. Holly snapped out of her embarrassment and looked at the girls.

"Oh, uh, well...I'm sort of, uh...I'm Holly Claus...Santa's daughter", Holly explained trying to be suttle. The girls went back to their shocked states.

"WHAT!", the Waterflowers yellled out in unison. Holly sweatdropped.

"Uh, well, I guess some proof is needed", Holly said. She then thought for a moment. "Uhm...oh, I know!". Holly then walked over to where she was previously sitting. On the side of the bleachers was her purse. She picked it up and walked back over to the girls. May and Max watched in anticipation. They had believed Holly when she told them who she was; but they had not actually seen any proof of it. Holly pulled on the golden zipper and opened her purse. She opened it wider and looked into it, as if looking for something in paticular. Suddenly, to the amazement of May, Max, and the Waterflowers, Holly stuck her entire arm into the purse. The purse did not expand or even show signs of force pushing against it. Holly huffed in annoyance and put the purse on the ground. She then began to crawl into the purse. All those who had anlready seen the abilities of the purse sweatdropped as the sight of two black stocking covered legs dangling in the air; the rest of Holly inside of her purse. Evan walked over towards Holly, and as he did, the star underwater disappeared, thereby making the light show stop. Just as Evan reached Holly, she stopped dangling her legs and pulled herself out of her handbag. She smiled and blew the hair out of her face. She stood up and walked over to the Waterflowers, carrying in her hands a glass object. She handed the object to Misty. Misty looked at it in amazement. The object was a snow globe, it had a green and red base that was beautifully crafted and a large glass orb filled with snow.

"It's a snow globe?", Misty said, not trying to state the obvious, but failing to see the amazement of the item. Holly smiled and pointed to the snow globe.

"I know it sounds cliche, something like that must be in alot of Christmas movies and stories, but we actually do have one. That is no ordinary snow globe Misty. That snow globe has the ability to show the past of whoever is holding it, so long as it's on Christmas time", Holly explained. Misty looked at the snow globe in amazement.

"Really?", Misty said with a smile. The Waterflower sisters all looked in closely as Holly leaned in and blew air onto the snow globe. The snow inside of the globe moved, as if hit by the air. It then began to spin around and around, covering the entire globe in snow. Suddenly, it seemed like time stopped. The snow moved very slowly, and a light appeared in the center of the orb. The girls looked as the light took form and it showed a image. The girls gasped. "This...this is us years ago, it was one of our best Christmases!", Misty said. In the image, 4 young girls were sitting around each other holding onto Pokeballs. The older Waterflowers seemed happy, but it was evident that they cared more about the clothes and makeup they got. The youngest girl in the image though, a small red headed girl, smiled greatly, her eyes sparkling in excitement. She opened her Pokeball and a large purple Starmie popped out. Misty screamed in excitement and hugged the Starmie happily. The present Misty smiled, not believing what she was seeing. Soon, the image disappeared and the snow began to move again in normal speed. Soon, it fell down and stayed on the bottom on the orb. Misty handed it back to Holly with a smile. "Thank you Holly, you have no idea what that meant to me", Misty said. Holly smiled back.

"No problem, anytime", Holly replied. She faced the Waterflower sisters. "Well, what do you think?". All three girls looked at Holly with shock. They were shaking nervously.

"It was like...cool", Daisy said.

"Yeah, we can handle all of this", Lily replied.

"We just need to like, lay down for a bit", Violet finished. All three girls then stood up and began to walk away. They didn't even get off the bleachers before all three of them collapsed into a pile on the floor, apparently fainted. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Yeah, they can handle it alright", Misty said sarcastically. Everyone else laughed. May stood up from her seat on the bleachers.

"Well not to rush you all or anything, but the more time we spend here, the less time we get to shop, and I still need to get stuff for my family", May explained. Everyone else nodded.

"Alright, can you and Holly help me bring my sisters somewhere more...uh, comfortable?", Misty asked. The girls nodded and all three of them walked over and began to drag the unconscious girls into the other room. "Of course, we'll have to wait for them to wake up before we leave, I don't want to leave them here like this", Misty said while dragging.

"Don't worry about it, I'll stay here until they wake up, you all go. I don't buy my gifts anyway", Evan said.

"Well thank you Evan!", Misty said. Evan nodded.

"No problem, I'll join you once they're awake and ok", Evan explained. By this time, Misty, May, and Holly had managed to drag the unconscious gym leaders out of the pool area. Misty smiled.

"Well Holly, you were right", Misty said. Holly looked at her, unsure of what she was talking about. Misty looked back, still smiling.

"Evan _is_ an angel", Misty said. Holly smiled and looked away, but hiding on her face was a small blush.

**Alright, that's the end of chapter two! I am sooo sorry that this took so long! It's already ten days till Christmas and I'm only on the second chapter! I would of been done with this days ago, but while I was working on it, decided to log me off. So when I went to save, it made me log back on, and all of my work was deleted. I HATE it when that happens! Anyway, I hope to be able to update soon. But obviously I have alot of things going on before the holidays, so I don't know if I will be able to get this finished on Christmas like I intended to, sorry all! Anyway, hope you all liked it, and keep an eye out for chapter 3! Bye!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	3. Dec 23rd Shopping

**Ok, before I start the next chapter, I would like to know how everyone is planning on celebrating the holidays. With their family? boyfriend/girlfriend? Spouse? Well here's to hoping that everyone gets to be with their loved ones this holiday season, I know I will, :)**

**-EVAN AAML**

Saying that the mall was busy would be an understatement. There were so many people shopping and walking around that the girls had trouble seeing each other when they were only a few feet away. Them being short of course didn't help matters. Misty was glad that she decided to leave Togepi home with Evan and her sisters, she would worry too much for her safety here. Suddenly, Misty saw something not to far away. It was May, or at least what Misty presumed was May. Her bandanna bobbed up and down. Misty could tell that it was May jumping up to get their attention. Misty could not see Holly, but yelled for her to follow her voice. Soon, Misty pushed and shoved her way through the shoppers and made it to a open area of the mall. The one store in the area was closed so no one was walking around there. May was sitting on a seat, waiting for them. Holly soon popped out of the crowd afterwards.

"My goodness, is this what holiday shoppers are like this time of year! My dad doesn't even NEED to work with this!", Holly said exasperated. Misty nodded.

"Tis the season", Misty said sarcastically. May stood up.

"Normally I'm a shopaholic, but I hate crowds. I feel bad for your dad Holly...hope the boys are having more luck than us", May said. After leaving the Cerulean Gym, Brock drove the girls to the Cerulean Mall. They had decided to do their shopping separately, as they usually did. Ash, Brock, and Max would hit the outlet stores while the girls stayed inside the mall. That way, they could get what they needed without having each other ruin the surprise. Evan remained at the gym, watching over the presumably still unconscious Waterflower girls.

"Yeah, he loves his job, but for years now he's had to deal with the meaning of Christmas changing. It's becoming a commercial holiday, it's sad really", Holly said, looking at the busy shoppers with sorrow. May stood up and walked over to Misty and Holly.

"You know, I love to shop, but around Christmas time I prefer to spend time with my family. I always thought that I only shopped around this time of year to give Santa a break, you know, getting things for my family so he doesn't have to...but seeing this, maybe he can use all the work he can get", May told the girls. Misty looked at the sad faces of Holly and May and shook her head.

"No, come on, it's almost Christmas, we can't have sad faces! Just keep thinking that we're getting stuff to save Santa the trouble, now come on, let's go", Misty said. May smiled and nodded, but Holly still looked a little depressed. She appreciated the gesture though and nodded. They then slowly made their way into the crowd, hoping to have better luck getting through it. Many of the people were only getting last minute things, so they were more patient. Some shoppers on the other hand decided to wait till the last minute to buy everything and were rushing through, running over people if they could. After some impressive maneuvering, all three girls made it to a small store on the other side of the crowd. Although they had only moved about fifty feet from their original position, it took them about 5 minutes to get there. Misty gasped for breath. Being the tom-boy that she was, she was not much for shopping. Although she had become more "girlie" from traveling with May and now Dawn, she still found it difficult to handle things so stressful like this. May looked at the store.

"This one seems pretty empty for some reason, let's try this one first, maybe if we're in there long enough the crowd will die down", May suggested. The girls nodded. They walked inside of the store. It was a girls only clothes store, and for good reason. They all blushed when they entered. The reason why the store was nearly empty was because it was a lingerie store. Lacy objects were hung almost everywhere. Holly completely covered her eyes, as if seeing it would make it go away.

"I don't think we should be in here!", Holly said. May and Misty looked at her confused. They too were blushing, but to them, it was mostly for the mistake of thinking it was a place where they could get alot.

"Why not?", May asked.

"It's just lingerie", Misty said. Holly kept her hands over her face.

"This is so improper!", Holly said. It was muffled through her hands but the girls could make it out. May put a hand behind her head and sheepishly smiled.

"I guess this isn't the type of store that someone with your name shouldn't be in, hahaha", May said with a laugh. Misty giggled.

"Gee, you think?", Misty said, grabbing onto Holly's arm. She tugged Holly out of the store, May followed. "Ok Holly, you can look now, we're out of the store". Holly removed her hands from her face. She was blushing so much now that her face matched the redness of her hair. She smiled in a bashful way.

"Thanks, growing up, we always believed in "proper" attire. My dad _hates_ it when girls ask for those for Christmas, not so much because he hates the idea behind them, but because it's embarrassing to make in the work shop", Holly explained. May and Misty giggled.

"I guess making thongs and bras would be sort of silly for your dad", May said. All three girls then burst out laughing. Meanwhile, the boys were walking outside, looking through the windows of the many stores around them. The cold air made them move briskly to keep warm, their breath showing in the air. Pikachu was sitting on Ash's head, hiding underneath Ash's winter hat. Ash laughed at his buddy's reaction to the cold. Pikachu weren't very well adapted for the cold, their fur coats only being able to handle so much. Max seemed unaffected by the cold and ran ahead of Ash and Brock, looking through all the electronic and toy store windows. Brock chuckled.

"He's acting like a kid on Christmas", Brock said. Ash nodded.

"Well that makes sense, he'll probably see half of this stuff again by then", Ash remarked. Both of the older boys laughed. Max turned around and faced the guys.

"Hey! Let's check this place out first!", Max said. The boys nodded and Max ran inside. Brock and Ash soon followed. Once in, the warm air hit their faces, warming them instantly. Brock took off his winter hat, but left his Pewter colored pea-coat buttoned up. Ash took his hat off too, letting Pikachu shake off a bit before hopping down onto his usual perch on Ash's shoulder. He unzipped his jacket, but kept his special scarf wrapped around his neck. Max took off his mittens and ear warmers, slipping them into his big jacket pockets. The store was a toy store, but was different from the others in that it was old school toys. Stuffed animals and wooden dolls lined the shelves. Brock looked up and saw the sign of the store near the cash registers.

"Santa's Workshop; the season only toy store", Brock read.

"I'd like to see Evan or Holly here, just to see how close this REALLY is to the real one", Ash commented. Max looked around excitedly.

"Oh man! Look at all of this old stuff!", Max said. Brock and Ash collapsed.

"Max, this isn't old, it's just not what you're used to!", Ash said.

"Yeah, this is stuff we would of played with when we were your age", Brock stated referring to himself and Ash. Max looked at them blankly.

"Yeah...old stuff", Max replied. Ash and Brock collapsed again. Ignoring the boys, Max looked around. "I think I'm gonna get May's Christmas present here". Ash and Brock stood up.

"What did you have in mind?", Ash asked. Max turned to face him.

"I'm not sure, but May has always been a fan of stuffed animals. And I don't have alot of money. I figure I could get her at least a nice one here", Max decided. Brock nodded.

"Good thinking. I'm sure that since this place sells strictly older style toys, they would have better quality", Brock decided. Max then ran off. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and followed, wanting to get a better look at the place. Ash and Brock merely looked around, keeping closer to the front of the large store.

"So Brock, what are you getting for people?", Ash asked. Brock looked around still.

"Well having as many brothers and sisters as I do, you can't really afford to get each one something, especially since I only get partial income for gym leader now that I'm traveling with you. So my plan is to get one thing that they can all use", Brock explained. Ash nodded.

"And what's that?", Ash asked. Brock smirked.

"I'm making a pool in the backyard", Brock said. Ash gasped.

"A POOL!", Ash yelled. Brock nodded.

"We never had one because of the rock Pokemon, and the little ones always wanted one for themselves. So while I was at the gym, me and the Pokemon began digging a hole for it behind our house. My dad already knows about it and hired workers to make a building around it, so that it can be used during the winter too. I'm gonna get more supplies and have them deliver it to the gym later on. My family won't be back from the trip for at least another week; I guess my mom wants to celebrate New Years there too. So I'll work on it then", Brock said in detail. Ash seemed amazed.

"Wow, talk about putting it into perspective. That's alot of work and thought", Ash said. Brock nodded.

"My dad apart from being the former gym leader was also a masonry worker, so he knows how to build stuff, and since I was the oldest, I sort of learned a thing or two from him", Brock explained. "What about you?", Brock asked. Ash stopped looking around, his face hidden from Brock's view. Brock looked over to Ash, wondering what was wrong. He noticed that he was shaking, as if in fear. Brock leaned over Ash's shoulder. "Ash?". He noticed that Ash's face was completely blushed. Brock poked Ash's shoulder and Ash jumped, screaming slightly. He covered his mouth and looked around. A few close customers looked at them awkwardly. He grabbed Brock and brought him behind some shelves so that they were completely hidden from view. "What's the matter with you Ash!", Brock asked both worried and curious. Ash looked around to see if anyone was near them. After deciding that the coast was clear, he looked at Brock, still blushing.

"Listen, you can't tell ANYONE what I'm about to tell you!", Ash said. Brock nodded.

"Yeah, of course...what's going on Ash? All I did was ask what you were getting people", Brock said. Ash nodded. He then leaned in to whisper something to Brock.

"That's because I have something important planned", Ash said. Brock nodded, listening in more. "What I'm getting my friends isn't really a surprise, but I'm getting something VERY special for Misty". Brock nodded more. "I'm planning on getting her...an engagement ring!", Ash said quietly. Brock gasped and leaned back.

"Wow! Really! That's amazing Ash!", Brock said in a whisper. Ash blushed and looked away.

"I hope so. I want to get the ring today and pop the question later, probably just after Christmas, when we're alone and not distracted as much", Ash explained. Brock nodded.

"Well congratulations! My best friend Ash proposing to my other best friend! I can't believe it!", Brock said happily. "Aw, true love triumphs over all! If only I, love's greatest warrior, could experience it first hand! Oh the sadness! But I mustn't complain, for I get to see the next best thing!". Ash sweatdropped as Brock went on a romantic rant. During this, Pikachu looked around the store. He had lost track of Max, but was not too worried for him. He knew that Max wouldn't leave the store without the others. While walking around, he spotted something sticking out from behind some shelves. It was yellow and pointed. Pikachu immediately recognized it as a tail of a Pikachu and ran over to it. He looked and saw a Pikachu sitting on a low shelf. Pikachu smiled.

"Pikachu!", Pikachu said. There was no reply. Pikachu looked puzzled. "Pi? Pika, Pikachu". Still no response. Pikachu walked up to his quiet brethren and poked him with his tail. As soon as he did, the quiet Pikachu fell over, not even trying to protect himself from the fall. Pikachu sweatdropped, this Pikachu was a stuffed replica of the real one. He picked up the toy Pikachu and placed it back onto the shelf. Then he noticed that the entire isle was filled with stuffed Pokemon. The row Pikachu was closest to was all Pikachu. He blushed, feeling foolish for not noticing in the first place. Suddenly, Pikachu heard some steps coming his way. He looked up to see Max, who noticed him.

"Oh! there you are Pikachu!", Max said. He got on his knee and smiled. "Look what I got May!". Max held out a Skitty doll, just slightly smaller in size from the real one. Pikachu sniffed it and smiled.

"Pikachu!", Pikachu replied. Max nodded.

"I know she doesn't have one like it, I think she'll love it. Come on, let's get going!", Max said. He picked up Pikachu and they made their way back to the front of the store. Meanwhile, the girls had not made it too well in their shopping excursion. Alot of the stores were either too full of people to go in or were already sold out of what they were looking for. All three girls were sitting at a table in the eating center of the mall. All three had ordered minty lattes. They sat there, slightly depressed over their trip thus far.

"I can't believe we were here for this long and didn't get anything", May said annoyed. She slumped in her seat. Misty leaned on the table, playing with the straw for her latte.

"Tell me about it. It's a good thing me and Ash decided not to get alot for each other this year, otherwise I'd be screwed", Misty said. Holly sipped from her straw, looking at Misty and May.

"So, what do you plan on getting Ash this year?", Holly asked. Misty stopped playing with her straw and looked at her.

"Well...normally I would make my gift for him, I like doing it. So I wanted to get some supplies to make him something he'd like. He LOVED the scarf I made him, and he still uses it to this day", Misty explained. Holly smiled.

"You really care for him don't you?", Holly said, not so much asking a question so much as pointing out the obvious. Misty smiled back.

"Yeah, we've been through so much together growing up, and so much more since we've been dating...and I know we're still gonna go through alot in the future together", Misty said, saying the last bit of her sentence while looking at her latte. She daydreamed a bit, thinking of the boy she had loved so much. Holly smiled.

"You know, it's things like that which bring us all together this holiday season. This is the point of Evan's job, what me and my parents strive for this time of year; to show that Christmas is from the heart", Holly said. May and Misty both "awww"ed in unison.

"That's so cute! Both of you! I wish Drew was like that!", May said with a a mix of annoyance yet love. Holly looked at May.

"How is Drew doing anyway? He's spending Christmas with his family right?", Holly asked. May at first looked at her confused, but then remembered how Holly knew everyone, and ignored it. She nodded.

"Yeah, he felt bad not spending it with me, but I told him it was alright. We spend alot of time together, and since we're always traveling, we don't get to see our families alot. So it was fine by me", May said. Holly nodded.

"And what do you plan on getting?", Holly asked. May thought for a moment, sitting up from her seat.

"Well, my parents aren't too difficult to shop for, even though they don't want me spending money on them", May said. She then looked into her purse and pulled out a pamphlet. "I'm getting them a trip to a weekend getaway, it's got a spa, pool, and alot of stuff to do". Misty and Holly looked at the pamphlet before May put it away. "As for Max, he can be a pain. He likes all of those weird gadgets and stuff, I don't have the money for things like that. So I'm getting him gear for his Pokemon journey. He'll be off on his own soon, and he needs to be prepared", May explained. Misty nodded, understanding.

"And Drew?", Misty asked. May blushed slightly.

"Well...I'm not so sure about that", May said, looking away from the girls. Holly smiled.

"You know, I know of this great place where you could probably get something for him", Holly said. Misty and May looked at her bewildered.

"How? You've never been to this part of Earth before?", Misty asked.

"You see, believe it or not, my dad doesn't have time to make alot of gifts for people. So he entrusts certain shop owners around the world to help him. They keep his identity a secret and they make stuff for him. And one of those shop keepers has his shop in this mall", Holly explained. The girls gasped.

"Really!", May said.

"I can't believe someone who knows Santa lived so close to me all this time!", Misty said. Holly nodded. May thought for a moment. She then looked at Holly.

"Well...what about you? What are you getting your family?", May asked.

"Huh? Oh, we don't get anything for each other. I mean, we sort of make anything we want, living up at the workshop. Our real gift for each other is being together", Holly explained. "And as for other people, well, I already have Evan's gift taken cared of". She smiled and looked around to see if anyone was looking. When she saw that no one was paying them any attention, she made a motion with her finger for the girls to get closer. They did so, and Holly positioned herself so that the girls made a shield. She then waved her hands around in the air and something began to take form. Light flashed around and suddenly a ribbon appeared. It looked to be a ordinary red ribbon. The girls looked at it confused.

"I love how you can do that! But it's only a ribbon...isn't it?", May asked. Holly shook her head.

"So it's something special?", Misty asked.

"Yes, this is called Christmas ribbon. It's something only a Claus can make. It's so special that no ordinary human has ever received it", Holly explained. She held the ribbon up and showed it to the girls. There were some very slightly noticeable markings in the ribbon, but they couldn't make it out. "The ribbon is inscribed with magic, Christmas magic that me and my family can use. The person who wears it will forever be connected to our family, as if they were one of our own". The girls sighed.

"That sounds so cool and romantic", May said. Holly blushed, but it went unnoticed.

"And you're giving it to Evan?", Misty asked. Holly nodded.

"Do you remember four years ago when my dad gave Evan back his medallion? The one he gave to you all?", Holly asked. May and Misty nodded, remembering when Evan turned the medallion to light and placed it in all of their hearts. They both felt their hearts, feeling the presence of the gift. "Well actually, although he can give you the light of the medallion, the medallion physically doesn't go away. He just didn't tell you. He himself didn't even know it at the time because he had lost it. So this Christmas ribbon will go around his medallion as something to hold it up. It's a two-for-one special I guess", Holly explained. She then placed the entire ribbon into her hands and squeezed. The ribbon disappeared in glitter. Holly then stood up. "Come on, let's go and get the stuff we need, who knows when the boys will be done shopping". May and Misty nodded and stood up. They picked up their mint lattes and went on their way, smiling and talking all the while. While this occurred, the boys had made a little bit of progress. Max had what he was going give his sister. While they walked, they happened to pass by a hardware store where Brock ordered the supplies for his pool. Luckily this also meant that he had nothing to carry since they would be delivered to his gym in Pewter City. Ash on the other hand had nothing for anyone. He looked around impatiently; from window to window, store to store.

"Why can't I find anything to get them!", Ash asked. Max laughed.

"Looks like _someone_ has some holiday stress going on!", Max joked to Brock. Brock laughed, but understood why Ash was so worried. They had not told Max what he planned on getting Misty, so he did not understand. They stopped at a bus stop bench on the sidewalk. Behind them was a long empty alley. Ash sat down and huffed, his breath visible in the cold. Max also sat down, next to Ash. Brock stood up and leaned against the bus stop sign. "Do you plan on getting on the bus somewhere?", Max asked.

"Hmph, I _wish _it could take me to Santa's workshop, I'm sure I could find what I need there", Ash said sarcastically. Pikachu gave his trainer a supportive pat on the back.

"I'm sure you'll find what you want soon. Cerulean City may be smaller than some cities in Kanto, but it's got alot in it", Brock stated. Ash sighed.

"I hope so", Ash said. Suddenly, it began to snow. The boys looked up to see the snow fall. Then the wind picked up from behind them. The boys held onto their hats and ear muffs from the sudden gust. They turned around to see snow and wind coming from the empty alley behind them. As they kept on looking, a figured appeared from it and walked towards them. The wind died down and the snow slowed as Evan appeared before them.

"I'm sensing some lack of Christmas faith", Evan noted as he walked up to them. Max shot up from his seat.

"Hey Evan!", Max yelled. Evan waved and smiled.

"I take it the Waterflowers are awake and better?", Brock asked. Evan nodded.

"They're still a little shaken up, as to be expected; but I helped them out and talked them through it, so they're better", Evan explained.

"That's good to hear", Ash said. He then brought his attention away from the gang. Evan walked up to Ash and bent down near him.

"So you're having trouble finding a certain someone something?", Evan asked. Ash looked at Evan slightly annoyed.

"Oh like you don't already know", Ash said. Evan blushed and chuckled slightly.

"Ok, so I do know, haha", Evan admitted. This did not help Ash any. Evan stopped laughing. "Well I have a suspicious feeling that what you're looking for isn't to far away from here". Ash looked up to him in a hopeful way.

"Really?", Ash asked. Evan nodded.

"Yep, in fact, to find it, all you have to do it...", Evan started. He then held his hand out onto the sidewalk and a trail was made. It cut into the snow and went around the block, as if someone dug their foot into the snow and dragged it. "...follow the path". Ash stood up and looked at the path. He smiled and looked at Evan.

"Thanks Evan!", Ash said. Evan nodded.

"Of course, can't have you all gloomy around this time of year, it would put me out of work!", Evan joked. Ash then began to run, following the path. Pikachu nearly fell off of his shoulder as he did so. Max looked from Evan, to Ash, and then back to Evan before following Ash. Evan and Brock looked at each other and shrugged. They followed as well, but at a slower pace. Ash ran full speed down the path, nearly slipping a few times on the snow and ice. Occasionally he would have to dodge things on the sidewalk in the process. After a few minutes of running, Ash stopped when the path ended at a doorstep. Ash looked up and saw that the doorstep belonged to a fancy jewelry store. Ash smiled as he looked at it. Pikachu caught his breath, still clinging onto Ash's jacket in fear. Max soon caught up to Ash and looked at the store as well.

"A Jewelry store? Why did you want to stop here?", Max asked, still not sure of Ash was getting. Ash shook his head, still looking at the sign.

"It's nothing Max, don't worry about it", Ash explained. Max huffed in annoyance.

"Man, no one ever tells me anything!", Max said. By this time, Evan and Brock had also caught up to them. Evan smiled.

"Well what do you know? It wasn't that far away after all!", Evan said. Brock looked up at it.

"Looks as good as any, you ready Ash?", Brock asked. Ash nodded. He stepped onto the doorstep and opened the door. A bell jingled as Ash stepped in. He kept the door open and let the other guys walk in themselves. Max looked around and gazed at the many diamonds and jewels in the display cases as someone entered the room behind a counter.

"Hello, how may I help you?", the gentleman asked. He immediately noticed Evan and looked at him awkwardly. "Uhm, I'm sorry sir, but you're going to have to leave, that outfit you're wearing is unsuitable for this store". Ash and Brock looked at Evan, who looked at them. He then looked at his outfit. He wore his torn jacket and hat with torn pants and a dirty scarf. He then looked back to the guys and shrugged.

"It's fine, I'll take Max outside", Evan said. Max heard this and ran outside, preparing a snowball. Evan shook his head and laughed. "He's gonna regret trying this". Evan then stepped outside. Ash and Brock felt bad for Evan having to leave, but knew that Evan didn't mind. Ash then walked up to the counter.

"Sorry about that sir, store rules. So how may I help you?", the store clerk asked.

"Well, I'm looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend", Ash said. The store clerk smiled.

"Well that's always a great reason...but you barely look like you're out of high school", the clerk said. Ash blushed.

"I'm older than I look, and I don't go to high school", Ash stated. The clerk looked at him suspiciously. Ash pointed to Pikachu. "Pokemon trainer". The clerk nodded.

"Ah, I see. My mistake then sir. Well we have a variety of rings here, many I'm sure you're girlfriend would love, what did you have in mind?", the clerk asked. Ash thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm not really sure. I want to get her something beautiful, something like...her", Ash said with a slight blush. Brock smiled. The clerk laughed slightly.

"Well then, we better not mess this up then huh?", the clerk said. He then gestured over to the side. "Here, we have a few things you may like over here". Outside, Evan and Max were playing in the snow. As soon as Evan had stepped outside, Max had tried to throw a snowball at him, of course the snowball flew through Evan and hit the ground behind him, (much like he had done to Ash four years previously). Evan then made his own comeback by blasting Max with his own snow and making him fly back a bit. Evan of course made sure that it was controlled and that no one was looking. Afterwards, Evan showed Max some tricks he could do with his magic. After making a small glowing snowman, the sounds of a bell could be heard and Evan and Max turned around to see Ash, Brock, and Pikachu leaving the store. The snowman disappeared, turning back to normal snow as Evan and Max brought their attention to the guys.

"So, what does it look like?", Evan asked. Ash smiled and pulled out a small box. After removing the lid to the box, he pulled out another box, but this one was black and covered in a soft fabric. Ash lifted toe top and showed off a beautiful ring. It was a brilliant diamond, embedded into a gold ring. The entire thing sparkled brightly. Evan whistled. "That's beautiful. Misty will surely love it". As the guys talked a bit more, Max looked at the ring, completely shocked that Ash would buy something like that.

"WHY DID YOU GET A DIAMOND RING!", Max yelled. The guys looked down at Max, confused.

"Huh?...Oh, listen, this is just a gift for someone, and I _need _you to keep this a secret, ok?", Ash asked putting the ring away and putting a hand on Max's shoulder. "It means alot to me". Max had a pretty good idea who the ring was for, even if he didn't know the meaning behind it, so he smiled.

"No problem!", Max said. Ash smiled.

"Thanks Max, now then, shall we keep going? I still need something for my mom", Ash said.

"I don't get things for my parents, they're too weird to shop for", Max said. The guys all laughed and made their way down the street. Meanwhile, the girls had managed to actually get from place to place shopping. Although alot of the stores they entered were out of good merchandise, at least most of the shoppers were gone. Misty had managed to go to a arts and craft store to pick up random materials she felt she could make something with. She didn't bother with too much because she knew that Mrs. Ketchum would have more and that she would help her with her project. May on the other hand had not found anything for Drew. After they had gotten the art supplies, Holly walked towards a stand that displayed the map of the mall. She looked at it intently.

"What are you looking for? That store you mentioned?", May asked. Holly kept her eyes on the map.

"Yes. I know it's here, but I don't know where...hmph, I wish Evan was here, he knows where it is", Holly said. She then spotted something on the map. "Aha! There it is! It's downstairs and around the corner!". Next to the girls was an escalator. They stepped onto it and made their way slowly down to the ground level of the mall. "This place makes brilliant looking items, it's more of a trinket shop, I won't lie. But I'm sure you're BOUND to find something there for Drew", Holly explained. May smiled.

"I can't wait! I hope they have something perfect for him", May said excitedly. Misty leaned against the rail of the escalator, her bag bouncing off the side as they moved downwards.

"I hope we can leave soon, I'm not a fan of shopping, and I would like to get back and see everyone. They're bound to be at the Prof. lab by now", Misty said. May nodded.

"I'm sure they are", May said. They stepped off of the escalator and continued their way through the mall. They turned a corner and soon Holly could see the store.

"There!", Holly said pointing. The girls looked ahead. Although the store was not visible, they could see a sign hanging over open doors.

"Keepsakes?", Misty said.

"Yep, the owner of this store makes some stuff for my dad occasionally", Holly said.

"Cool!", May said. Just before she ran to the store, Holly stopped her.

"Wait, May...remember, you have to keep this a secret. That means that you can't talk about my dad in there if other people are present, ok?", Holly reminded the anxious teenager. May nodded.

"Of course, I wouldn't do that", May said. Holly nodded. The girls then made their way into the store. It looked old and rustic, but everything in there was interesting. They had objects from around the world and many little items that would decorate a home nicely. No one seemed to be in the store, although there was a noise that could be heard from where they were standing. "Hello?", May called out. A voice could be heard.

"Oh yes, just a moment dear", a older voice called out. The sounds of boxes moving and rustling could be heard from the back of the store. Misty looked around while May and Holly waited for the voice to make it's way to the front of the store. Eventually, a older man walked towards them. He stood tall, his hands behind his back. His white hair and moustache made him look like a grandfather. He wore brown overalls and a white button up shirt. His glasses hung over his nose loosely. He stepped forward and immediately his brown eyes caught a glimpse of Holly. He looked at her, shocked yet happy.

"Holly!", the old man said. Holly smiled and nodded excitedly. The old man looked around the store to see if anyone else was in the store. Once he decided that it was clear, he scurried over to the red head. "How are you my dear!". Holly smiled more.

"I am doing fine, thank you for asking", Holly said taking a bow. The old man then looked at May and Misty, almost suspiciously. Holly looked at them and shook her head. "It's ok, they're with me, they know", Holly said. The old man smiled afterwards.

"Oh, ok. Sorry, just making sure. So now Holly, what are you doing here anyway? You've never been to the human world have you?", the old man asked. Holly shook her head.

"No, Evan took me here to see what it was like", Holly explained.

"Oh, so Evan is here too? Odd, I recall him being here a few years back...in this store as a matter of fact", the old man said thinking. He made his way behind his counter. The girls approached him.

"Evan was here? Wait...was this about four years ago?", Misty asked. The old man looked at Misty.

"Why...yes, that sounds about right. He was here with two other boys. One of the boys was looking for a gift for a special someone, a girlfriend I believe", the old man said. Holly turned to Misty.

"Yeah, this place is also good for gifts for loved ones, maybe you can find something for your sisters here Misty", Holly said. The old man looked at Misty, as if he was trying to think of something.

"Misty?", the old man said. Misty looked at him. She could tell that he knew that name from somewhere, probably the gym she figured.

"Yes?", Misty replied. The old man looked at her.

"Hmm, I'm curious...do you have a necklace on you Misty?", the old man asked. Misty seemed stunned that he would know that. She slowly pulled on a chain around her neck until a necklace popped out from under her shirt. It was a raindrop, similar to the Cerulean Gym badge. Engraved into it in gold italics was her name. The old man put his glasses on properly and looked at it closely. He smiled. "Hahaha, I knew I remembered that name. This was one of my pieces!", the old man said. Misty and May gasped. "Yep, that boy who got this here, he was with Evan. He must be your boyfriend, correct?". Misty nodded.

"Yeah, Ash. This was his gift for me four years ago", Misty said. May smiled.

"How romantic!", May said.

"So Evan showed this place to Ash and that's how he got your necklace!", Holly decided. Misty gazed at her necklace, remembering the day Ash gave it to her.

"Yep, and as usual, it was free, anything for good ol' Nicholas of course", the old man said. Holly leaned in and whispered to the girls.

"That's my dad's real name", Holly pointed out. The old man laughed. He then leaned over his counter and looked at the three girls.

"So then...to what do I owe the pleasure?", the old man asked.

**Alright, I'm gonna end the chapter here, it's already a bit longer than I hoped. I updated this one as quick as I could, the last one took simply much to long. Be sure to read the 2nd and 3rd chapters, I only have had a few people do so! Don't forget my little A.N. at the beginning of the chapter, and I will see you all later!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	4. Dec 23rd Holiday Blues

**Well I'm back for another update! I hope everyone is excited for the upcoming holiday! As a completely irrelevant side note, I went to see "The Nutcracker" a few weeks ago and may I say it was a brilliant performance! A definite must see for those who love dance and Christmas. Well all that aside, let's begin with the chapter shall we?**

**-EVAN AAML**

May looked at the store clerk. She was glad that he was willing to help, but wasn't sure if he could. She herself wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for.

"Well...to be honest with you, I don't know. I was looking for something for my boyfriend, but I don't exactly know what to get him", May explained. The store clerk smiled and nodded, he heard this story plenty of times.

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure I can find something for him", the store clerk said. He then made his way down one of the isles. He looked at the girls. "Come, let's see what we have". Holly looked at May and smiled, the two of them then followed the clerk. Misty however remained at the front of the store. She held onto her necklace tightly. She couldn't believe that four years later to the day she would be in the same store where Ash received this gift. But she shook herself out of it and followed the girls. When she caught up to them, the clerk was still looking around for something for May. "Well alot of the stuff we have here is just for your kind of situation", the clerk said. May looked around, amazed at everything she saw. There were so many interesting looking objects that she was sure she could find something for Drew soon. "Well we have jewelry, music boxes, clothing, anything you can nearly think of, I have".

"Hmm...well, I have an idea of what he would like, but I don't want to get him something just to get him something. I want to get Drew something that not only would he like, but would use", May explained. The clerk nodded, his glasses sliding off his nose slightly.

"Yes, that's understandable", the clerk said.

"How about this?", Holly asked. May, Misty, and the old man turned to see Holly pointing at a glass object on the shelf behind them. It was a beautifully made glass rose, placed inside of a vase. May walked over to it slowly and picked it up. She gazed at the beautiful object with a glimmer in her eye. The rose petals were red and the stem was green. There were no thorns on the stem, which May was thankful for cause she would probably end up hurting her hand. The old man smiled at the item.

"Oh yes, I made that years ago. It was blown glass. I never really had a point in making it, just felt like something that needed to be done", the old man said. Misty walked up to May, who was still gazing at the glass.

"You know, this is very fitting of Drew, it being a rose and all", Misty said. May smiled, but then shook her head.

"It's beautiful, but are you sure Drew would like it? I mean, he wouldn't be able to do anything with it", May said. Holly stepped forward and placed a hand on May's shoulder.

"Drew will love this", Holly said with a smile. May looked at her unsure.

"How do you know?", May asked. Holly then made a puzzled face. May laughed. "Oh duh, Claus". She then turned to face the clerk. "I'll take it", May decided. The old man smiled.

"Well I guess there was a purpose for making it after all!", the old man said with a smile. May then handed the glass rose to Holly as she reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet.

"How much will it cost?", May asked. The old man laughed.

"Well, I guess it would cost about as much as it did for the gentleman who received that necklace here", the old man said. Misty looked at him confused.

"But...you said he didn't pay for this, you gave it to him because he was with Evan", Misty explained. The old man smiled.

"Exactly. And you're both with Holly, so no cost!", the clerk said. May shook her head.

"Are you sure? I would have no problem paying for it! It's not like I don't have money, my dad is a gym leader in Hoenn and I'm a top Pokemon Coordinator", May explained. The old man smiled and bent down to be face to face with May.

"My dear, it's not a problem. Christmas isn't about the receiving, it's the giving. So I am going to _give _you this, so that you can _give_ it to Drew", the old man said with a smile. May stared at the man for a moment, not believing in what he was saying. Then she smiled, her eyes filled with happy tears. She gave the old man a hug, who gladly hugged her back.

"Thank you sir, I appreciate it", May said. The old man smiled back.

"Of course, no problem", the old man said. And so the store clerk brought the glass rose to the front, packaged it in the most care, and handed it back to May, placed in a plain box with a ribbon over it. May smiled after being handed the box.

"Thank you sir, Drew will love this! I can't wait to give it to him!", May said. The old man smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it! Now you all take care, and have a happy holidays!", the clerk said. He then faced Misty. "And be sure to tell your boyfriend, uhm, Ash was it...that he is very lucky to have a girl like you". Misty smiled, blushing slightly.

"Well thank you sir, but I think I'm the lucky one", Misty replied. The old man laughed, his glasses bouncing on his face. After he stopped laughing, he faced Holly.

"And you my dear, I hope you have a great time here, you'll find that Christmas is a great thing in this area", the clerk said. Holly smiled.

"I know it is...I know", Holly said, repeating the last bit in more of a whisper.

"Well then, you best be going off, you don't want to waste all of your time here when you can be off with your loved ones, take care!", the old man said. The girls all smiled. They turned and began to make their way out of the store. But Holly stopped and turned to face the store clerk. Misty and May continued on their way, not realizing that Holly stopped. She could tell that the old man had wanted her to stay for a moment longer. He slowly walked up to Holly, a more serious look on his face. "Holly...if you could, you may want to tell your father that...that I'm not gonna be able to make him gifts after this year". Holly looked at the old man slightly confused.

"What do you mean?", Holly asked. The old man frowned.

"I guess you don't know then. Maybe ol' Nick decided not to tell you. You see Holly...this is gonna be my last Christmas...I know when my time has come. So I entrusted the shop to your father", the old man said. Holly looked at the old man. She could tell that this was not a joke. She became somber. Being a Claus, she has grown used to people growing old around her as she stayed young. Because of this, she eventually got used to it. Although it didn't make the sadness she felt any less painful. "I'd imagine that you're used to this kind of thing. Well, I want you to not be sad over this. I lived a good life, I know it, and your family knows it". He then laughed slightly. "I guess I'll be seeing Evan alot more often now won't I?". Holly knew that he said this to try to get her to smile, but it didn't work. The old man walked up to Holly and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, I will be fine...I promise".

"Holly, are you coming!", May called out. Holly turned to see May and Misty, both of them waiting for her outside the store. Holly then turned back to the old man.

"Well, you best be off", the old man said. Holly nodded. "Just do me one favor Holly, be sure to spend alot of time with Evan, can you do that?".

"Yes, of course...but why?", Holly asked. The old man smiled.

"You'll see in time, now go on", the old man said. Holly stood there for a moment, not moving. But soon, she turned around and made her way to the girls. Misty and May looked at Holly.

"What took you so long?", Misty asked. Holly tried to seem cheery.

"Oh, nothing, just saying...goodbye", Holly said. The girls nodded.

"Ok, well we best be going, we have to meet up with the guys soon", May said. Misty and May then walked towards the end of the mall. Holly turned and saw the old man. He stood there and waved goodbye. Holly just looked at him, still somber.

"Goodbye", Holly said. She then made her way towards where May and Misty were, leaving the old man to his store. The girls went into an elevator and made their way down to the main lobby of the Cerulean mall. As they walked towards the main entrance, they could see the boys, all waiting for them. The boys had not yet noticed their arrival.

"I got my mom the vacuum cleaner because the one we had before it broke, and this one is up to date", Ash explained to Max, who wondered why Ash would buy someone a gift like a vacuum cleaner.

"Of course, it's more like you're buying a gift for Mr. Mime!", Brock joked. The boys all laughed. Evan then turned around and noticed the girls approaching them.

"Looks like we have company", Evan said. The rest of the guys appeared and smiled.

"Took you long enough!", Max said as a joke. May sarcastically laughed at her little brother, as he was used to. Misty immediately noticed Evan.

"I hope my sisters are feeling better", Misty said. Evan smiled.

"Well, about as good as they WOULD feel after witnessing what they saw", Evan joked. Misty smiled. As she did, Ash leaned over Misty, looking at her bags.

"What did you all get?", Ash asked, referring mostly to Misty. As Ash tried to look in her bags Misty pulled them away.

"No! Not until Christmas!", Misty jokingly replied. Ash whined, which made everyone laugh, except for Holly. She was slightly farther back from the group, looking downcast. Evan noticed the lack of joy and approached her, trying not to get everyone's attention.

"What's the matter?", Evan asked. Holly looked up to meet Evan's eyes. Those blue eyes were filled with such care and sincerety, as a angel would have. The sight made Holly glad, if only a little.

"It's...nothing. Nothing I should talk about anyway", Holly explained quietly, also trying to avoid detection from their friends. Evan placed a hand on Holly's shoulder. Holly looked deep into Evan's eyes.

"I know it's not nothing, we've known each other for longer than people have been alive, lying to me won't work", Evan explained. Holly shook it off.

"I know, but it's something that I would prefer...not talking about. I know you only want to help, but this isn't something you can help with", Holly explained. Evan did not know exactly what she meant by it, but felt it best not to pry her of more information. He nodded.

"Alright, but remember, I'm always here for you when you need me", Evan said. Holly smiled.

"Thank you", Holly said. Suddenly she felt something, like a twitch in her chest. As Evan turned away from Holly, she felt a warming sensation in her body. At first she thought it was the heat getting to her, but soon put down the idea. She placed her hand over her heart, looking down at the floor, wondering what this feeling was. She felt like a fool, she knew what she was feeling, but couldn't believe that she was feeling it. This must of been what the old man had meant by spending more time with Evan. How could he know of something like this when she herself didn't. She smiled, the heart reveals more to people then she expected. She looked up, her hand still on her heart. There she saw Evan, standing there talking to the others. She smiled, the sight of the angel making her happy. She knew now what she was feeling, without a doubt.

"So then, should we be heading back to the gym?", Ash asked. Everyone nodded.

"Yeah, let's get going", Misty replied. Her and Ash then left the mall, hand in hand. The others began to follow. May stopped and turned to see Holly, still standing there, her hand on her chest.

"Are you coming Holly?", May asked. Holly shook out of her trance and smiled.

"Yep, let's go", Holly replied. She hurried out with the others. The mall wasn't to far away from the gym, so driving back did not take long. As soon as they pulled in, Misty hurried inside, Ash immediately behind her. She wanted to see how her sisters were feeling after such an ordeal. She rushed through the main lobby, the pool, and then down the hall into the Kitchen. She ran inside, expecting to see her sisters still shocked, if conscious at all. But instead, she saw all three girls, making their candy canes. They turned and smiled.

"Like, hey Misty!", Lily said.

"Did you get all of your shopping done! We like, should of gone", Violet said sadly, missing out on a chance to do her favorite activity.

"Who wants a candy cane!", Daisy asked, holding out a tray of newly made candy canes. Ash, who was behind Misty the entire time, took one without hesitation and placed it in his mouth, smiling like a dork at the wonderful taste.

"Wow, uhm, you're all surprisingly...sane", Misty replied. The Waterflowers laughed.

"Well obviously we're still shocked Misty", Daisy replied.

"Like, something this big doesn't go away just like that", Lily commented.

"But Evan explained everything to us slowly after we woke up so we're feeling better", Violet finished. Just then, the others walked into the Kitchen. They lost track of Ash and Misty and looked around for them before coming in here.

"Nice to see you're feeling better", Holly said. Brock suddenly leaped forward towards the Waterflowers.

"Yes, what a sight to see, you're beauty is only matched by your", before Brock could finish, Max dragged him away by the ear.

"I guess it's _my _turn to keep you in line!", Max said dragging him out of the Kitchen. The others sweatdropped. Misty turned back to her sisters.

"So I wanted to see how you were feeling before we went back to Pallet Town", Misty said. Her sisters nodded. They placed everything down and walked up to their sister.

"Ok, well thank you for doing that", Lily said.

"We'll like, see you when you come back", Violet replied. All four Waterflower sisters then hugged each other.

"We'll all like, miss you this holiday Misty", Daisy said sadly. Ash looked at the girls confused.

"Why? Aren't you coming with us?", Ash said, still sucking on the candy cane. All four girls looked at Ash shocked.

"You mean we're like, invited?", Daisy asked.

"Well like, duh", Ash said, trying to make a joke with their tendency to say the word like. It didn't work. Misty approached the raven haired boy.

"Really? You don't mind?", Misty asked. Ash shook his head and smiled, placing his hands on Misty's shoulders.

"Misty, why would I want you to celebrate Christmas without your family, of course they're invited, they could show up anytime they want", Ash said with sincerity. Misty's eyes sparkled from being watery. She smiled.

"You know, it's hard to take you seriously with that candy cane sticking out of your mouth", Misty said. Ash smiled goofily.

"Oh well", Ash replied. Misty then kissed Ash on the cheek and hugged him.

"Thank you", Misty said. She then released Ash and jumped into her sisters arms. All four of them jumped up and down in joy. They get to spend Christmas together after so many years apart. The gang smiled, except for Ash, who looked at the girls confused, he couldn't believe that they actually thought he wouldn't invite them. But he ignored it and continued to eat his candy cane.

"So we'll be like, sure to go to Pallet Town tomorrow, we can't wait to see you!", Daisy said. Misty smiled.

"Ok, well then we'll be off, bye!", Misty said. Her sisters waved goodbye as her and her friends left.

"Bye Misty!", the Waterflowers all said in unison. And with that, Misty and the gang made their way out of the gym and towards the car. They hopped in and made their way back to Pallet. As Brock drove his way towards the small town, the gang in the car began to talk amongst themselves.

"So Misty, what did you get again?", Ash asked, still trying to pry information out of his girlfriend. It didn't work. Misty giggled.

"Ash, you should know better. You're not gonna find out until Christmas!", Misty said. Ash sighed. Misty leaned over on Ash's shoulder.

"So then, what did you get me?", Misty asked, trying to annoy Ash. Ash suddenly became nervous. He shook slightly, worried that he or someone else may let the surprise slip. Misty noticed this. "Ash?". He looked at Misty, slightly red and still shaking.

"What! Nothing's wrong! Why would you even think that!", Ash asked. Pikachu sweatdropped. Misty leaned in closer.

"I didn't say that something was wrong Ash...what are you thinking...", Misty wondered, looking into Ash's eyes deeply. Ash leaned away from Misty, secretly keeping one of his hands in his pocket to cover the ring. He quickly turned away from Misty and looked at May, who sat in a seat in front of him

"MAY! HOW WAS SHOPPING AT THE MALL!", Ash asked, trying to change the subject. May turned to look at Ash.

"It was great, although the mall was really crowded", May said, not realizing the purpose behind Ash asking the question. Ash leaned forward, pretending to be really interested in her story.

"REALLY! WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME MORE!", Ash said. Misty leaned away from Ash, realizing his plan. She huffed in annoyance. May positioned herself to face Ash more.

"Well, we nearly got lost a few times in the crowds, and after getting our "stuff" we went and got mint lattes", May explained. Ash nodded, still pretending to be interested. "Oh! And we went to "Keepsakes!", May threw in. Upon hearing the name, Ash actually began to pay attention.

"Really...", Ash said, somewhat amazed. May nodded.

"Yeah, we talked to the old man who runs the shop, the store clerk. He told us about how you got Misty's necklace from there four years ago", May said. Ash smiled, remembering it well. Misty leaned forward and showed off the necklace.

"And it's still my favorite gift", Misty commented. Ash smiled, leaned in, and kissed Misty gently on the lips.

"He also remembered Holly, they talked for awhile, even after me and Misty left", May said, looking at Holly. She was still quiet since they left the mall. Evan had noticed this the entire time, but did not want to ask what was wrong; he felt that to pry the information out of her would only make things worse. But hearing that she talked to the old man made him wonder. Perhaps this was why she was acting so strange. He decided that he would talk to her later about it, when they were alone and she would perhaps feel better. May continued her story. "Then after that we just met up with you, what did you all do?".

"We went to just a few stores is all, nothing special. I'd tell you which ones, but that would give away what we got you", Ash said with a smile. May stuck her tongue out at him for a response. The drive back seemed to be shorter than the ride there, and before they knew it, they had returned to Pallet Town. May and Max were dropped off to Prof. Oak's lab, (along with their presents), and everyone else made their way back to Ash's house. Ash was the first out of the car and walked up to his door and opened it.

"Mom! We're back!", Ash said, carrying with him the vacuum cleaner in a large bag and some bags. Mr. Mime came downstairs immediately and met them at the door. Ash handed him the vacuum first. "Mimey, can you hide this, it's for mom for Christmas and I want it to be a surprise", Ash asked in a whisper. Mr. Mime smiled.

"Mr. Mime!", Mr. Mime responded. He took the bag and then his eyes glew a bright blue. The bag turned blue as well and then it suddenly disappeared. Mr. Mime then left the room as everyone else came in.

"Hope he teleported it somewheres where mom won't see it", Ash said. He then stepped aside to let the others come in. Mrs. Ketchum came down stairs, putting in ear-rings.

"Glad to see you're all back, you better get dressed, Prof. Oak's party starts in 2 hours and I know how long it takes you to get ready!", Mrs. Ketchum said. Ash sweatdropped as the others giggled.

'Thanks mom", Ash said sarcastically. Mrs. Ketchum giggled. She finished putting the ear-rings in and walked up to Misty and Holly.

"You girls get ready first, I already have something picked out for you Misty, Holly I have some clothes you can borrow if you don't have anything", Mrs. Ketchum said. She then ushered them upstairs, leaving Ash, Brock, Evan, and Pikachu standing by the door.

"Uh...I guess we can just get ready later then", Ash said bewildered. Brock nodded, just as confused as Ash. Evan laughed slightly.

"Well, a good thing about being an angel is that magic really comes in handy for things like this", Evan explained. He then stepped back and began to sparkle. Brock, Ash, and Pikachu watched in amazement as the sparkles grew brighter and suddenly, they disappeared, and Evan's attire completely changed. His torn baggy clothes disappeared and in it's place were dress clothes. A white sweater was on his top with a gold holy cross around his neck. The white made his blue eyes pop amazingly. His pants were navy pants and he wore black dress shoes. His curly dark brown hair looked cleaner and he smelled like he had cologne on, but he decided to keep the small facial hair on. He extended his arms out and spun around, showing off his simple yet nice attire. Brock clapped and Ash smiled.

"Nice! That must come in handy alot...but if you have the capabilities to do this, then why do you choose to wear those other clothes?", Ash asked. Evan smiled, putting his hands in his pockets and walking up to him.

"It's all apart of the job. Celebrating the _true_meaning of Christmas means being with your loved ones and professing the importance of peace on Earth. Money has nothing to do with it. So with that in mind, I dress as a poor beggar, to show that money doesn't bring happiness", Evan explained. Ash and Brock nodded, understanding the meaning of it all. Evan then stepped back again. "Alright, I'll be back before you all leave". Brock and Ash looked at him confused.

"Where are you going?", Brock asked.

"I'm going to look for some friends, they could use the Christmas cheer, I'll be back", Evan said. He then gave a salute. "Later". Suddenly there was a bright burst of white light. Ash, Brock, and Pikachu covered their eyes from the light. When the light disappeared, Pikachu was the first to open his eyes. He looked to where Evan was, only seeing snow. He hopped down from Ash's shoulder and ran to where Evan once stood. Brock and Ash then opened their eyes and looked as well.

"That never gets old", Brock said with a smile. Ash then noticed Pikachu looking at the snow on the ground.

"You'd think that as a angel he can fly or something, instead of leaving snow in the house", Ash said. He and Brock then burst into laughter. So Ash and Brock waited downstairs while Evan was away and the girls prepared upstairs. Pikachu went upstairs to get ready as well. Since he only needed to be cleaned, it only took a few moments from Mrs. Ketchum to get him and Togepi ready. After an hour or so, Footsteps could be heard from upstairs. Ash and Brock turned around to look up the stairs from the couch in the living room. The first thing that they noticed was a foot coming down the stairs. This foot belonged to Misty, who wore a elegant attire. She wore a bright blue long sleeve shirt with a white scarf. She also wore black pants and black slip on shoes. Ash stood up and looked at Misty amazed. He smiled, his mouth slightly open. Brock saw this and chuckled slightly to himself. Misty looked at her boyfriend and smiled.

"So...what do you think?", Misty asked, stopping on the stairs and showing her outfit. Ash stepped closer to her and smiled more.

"I'm thinking that I'm a little beauty struck right now", Ash replied. Misty smiled.

"You always know just what to say", Misty said. Ash smirked.

"I try", Ash replied. Misty shook her head with a smile. As Brock walked up and stood by Ash's side, Holly came down the stairs. She smiled and sort of spun around, glad to be wearing her outfit. She wore a white sweater with patterns stitched all around it. It was covered it faint glitter and sparkled in the light. She however kept her black leggings and green ribbon in her hair. Her shoes were black slip ons, like Misty's. She had on her her white sweater a modest red jacket, which she had open.

"I love this outfit! Ash, your mom has a good fashion sense! What do you think?", Holly asked. Brock smiled.

"Evan will be excited to see it when he gets back", Brock commented. Holly and Misty looked at Brock confused.

"Huh? Where did he go?", Holly asked.

"Right here", a voice suddenly said from behind Ash and Brock. In shock, the two of them flew to the side and turned around to see Evan standing directly behind them. Evan looked at them with a smile.

"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!", Ash asked still in shock. He was holding his chest, as if his heart was ready to burst out of it.

"I know, I have a habit of popping out of now where", Evan said. Brock and Ash sweatdropped. Evan then looked up to Holly with a bright smile. "And here I thought I was the only angel on Earth". Holly blushed and smiled.

"Evan, you're amazing", Holly said. Misty smiled at her response. "And may I say your outfit is very gentleman like and cute!", Holly continued. Evan smiled and spun around.

"I tried my best to please you", Evan said. Holly giggled.

"Well you did a great job at it", Holly replied. Suddenly, Mrs. Ketchum ran downstairs, making sure not to run into Holly or Misty in the process. They just dodged her in time. Delia was wearing a red and green Christmas sweater with Christmas decorations on it and jeans. It was a cheesy attire and she knew it, but it was one she wore every year and she wasn't about to break tradition now.

"Ok come now, you two have to get ready yourselves! Evan that outfit is perfect for you. Now come on, scoot!", Mrs. Ketchum said to Ash and Brock. Holly and Misty came down the stairs as Mrs. Ketchum pushed the boy up them. The girls and Evan laughed as they were shoved by Delia. As Misty and Holly approached Evan, they heard very light movement coming from the stairs. They looked to see Pikachu and Togepi coming down. Pikachu wore a red bow tie and Togepi had a green ribbon, (much like Holly's), wrapped around her egg shell.

"Aww! Don't you two look adorable!", Holly said. Pikachu blushed and put his paw behind his head sheepishly.

"Pika", Pikachu said. Togepi on the other hand clapped her hands together happily.

"Togi, togi, prrrrriiiiiiii!", Togepi responded. Unlike the girls, it only took about a half an hour for both Ash and Brock to be completely ready for the party. Brock was the first to come down the stairs. He only wore a brown shirt and tie with black pants and brown shoes. He acted as if nothing was different about him, being older, dressing up wasn't a rare thing for him. Mrs. Ketchum then came down, she stopped half way down however and turned back to the top of the stairs.

"Come on Ash! We have to get going!", Delia responded.

"Coming!", Ash yelled back down. Mrs. Ketchum shook her head and came down the stairs, putting a gold necklace around her neck.

"That boy, he just _has _to dress himself now", Mrs. Ketchum said. Brock laughed.

"Now that he has a girlfriend, he has to show that he can dress himself!", Brock joked. Everyone laughed but Misty, who blushed and smiled at the thought of Ash acting that way. Just then, Ash began to make his way down the stairs. He wore a blue dress shirt and black pants with black dress shoes. His hair was still a mess, but was at least "worked with". He was attempting to put a tie on, but was failing miserably.

"Hey, how do you put a tie on? Does it go around first and then over, or over first and then around?", Ash said trying to attempt it again. Misty giggled and walked up to Ash as he made his way down the stairs.

"I love how you still can't dress yourself", Misty said with a smile. Ash scoffed.

"I can _definitely_ dress myself...I just can't tie a tie", Ash defended. Misty shook smiled.

"Sure you can", Misty said. She then finished doing Ash's tie and looked at Ash. "For what it's worth, you look handsome", Misty said. Ash smiled and wrapped his arms around Misty's waist.

"Thanks", Ash said. Misty then leaned in and rested her head on Ash's chest as Ash held her. "You smell good", Ash said quietly with a smile. Misty smiled.

"Thanks", Misty replied.

"You know I love you with all of my being right?", Ash asked. Misty blushed slightly, butterflies in her stomach flapping their wings.

"I've heard that", Misty said back. Ash smiled.

"Ok, good...just checking", Ash replied. They stood there hugging still until they heard a cough. Both of them looked towards the direction of the cough and saw everyone looking at them. Brock smirked, finding the sight cute but humorous. Mrs. Ketchum sighed, glad to see the cute couple together. Everyone else just smiled and kept quiet.

"Shall we get going lovebirds? Or do we have to sit here and listen to you whisper sweet nothings to each other for another ten minutes", Brock asked jokingly. Ash and Misty blushed.

"Uh...no, we can go", Ash said.

**WOW! SORRY FOR THAT WAIT! I started this a few days before Christmas and finished it eight days after New Years! My apologies ladies and gentleman, but ALOT has happened in this amount of time let me tell you! By far, the best thing that could of happened to me DID happen. I finally got the girl of my dreams, (sighs). As you may have already read in previous A.N.s, I have told you about my close friend who I had a crush on. Well the day after Christmas, my family had a party that I invited her to and it was at this party that we had become one, :) And because of this, we have been spending alot of time together, and it has been amazing ever since. Ironically enough, I call her "My Angel", when I am a angel in this story! Needless to say, this and some other things have took up my time for awhile, so sorry that this story is now officially late. I intend to update more often, but who knows, something else may come up. I hope to get this story close to it's finish and then work more on my Alphabet Story before starting my new ones. I don't want to have more than twounfinished stories up at a time. Anyway, hope you like the update, and until then, this is EVAN AAML, signing off!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	5. Dec 23rd Party Surprise!

**ARE YOU ALL SURPRISED TO SEE THIS UPDATED? I BET YOU ARE! I KNOW I AM! Well for those of you who were willing to wait practically, well no, LITERALLY a whole year for this update, I say thank you! I know that I should of finished this last year, and trust me, I had intended to. But alas, a lot came up and it led to distractions which led to me post-poning this story for awhile. I know that it seems really early for me to be updating this considering it's no wheres NEAR Christmas. But I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of time to finish this story this year. As such, I would also not expect a whole lot, (if any) updates from "The Alphabet Game" anytime soon. I will however continue to update "R". Also, unfortunately for me, due to the long break on this particular story, I have forgotten some of the things I intended to do for the story. It won't ruin it, but it may cause me to think more into it, and occasionally have writer's block. I re-read the entire story as it is so as to get back into the feel of it. I also have been trying to help get into the Christmas mood for better writing by listening to a music station in New York that as of November 1st till December 26th will be playing Christmas music 24/7...I know, and I agree. Anyway, I suggest that you all do the same, and re-read the story if you have forgotten about it. And I hope I can still bring to you the same entertainment that I have in my other stories. Please enjoy, and happy holidays!**

**-EVAN AAML**

With the group now ready to head off, the gang stepped outside and began their short walk to the lab. Though it was cold, it was not snowing or windy, so they didn't mind the pleasant walk to the party. In the front of the pack was Ash and Misty, holding hands as usual, while Misty held onto Togepi with her free hand and Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder. Brock followed immediately behind them, followed by Evan and Holly, and then Mrs. Ketchum, with Mr. Mime by her side holding an umbrella, (just in case the snow should fall). Brock put his hands behind his head and interlocked his fingers. He then turned around, walking backwards, and faced Evan.

"So Evan, where did you go anyway? You certainly weren't gone very long", Brock said. Ash, overhearing this conversation, turned his head back to look at him as well.

"Yeah. You said you were going to find some friends, where are they?", Ash asked. Evan smiled.

"They happened to be close by, so it didn't take me long to find them. They'll be over at the lab later when they're ready", Evan explained.

"Are they people we know?", Ash asked.

"Mmm, I guess you can say they're friends of yours", Evan said with a chuckle. This only seemed to confuse Brock and Ash more, though they decided to leave it at that. Meanwhile, Misty turned around and looked over to Holly.

"Hey Holly", Misty said. Holly looked up from the ground and looked into Misty's eyes. She seemed somewhat lost in thought as of late, though everyone ignored it for the time being.

"Hmm?", Holly said.

"What would your parents be doing right now? I'd imagine they're really busy since it's almost Christmas", Misty commented. Holly thought for a moment.

"Hmm, it's the day before Christmas Eve, so right about now they're doing last minute checks on the naughty and nice list. Making sure that they got everyone covered. Tomorrow they'll get the sleigh ready and prepare for the night", Holly explained.

"It must be stressful for your parents this time of year. My goodness I'm just stressing thinking over it", Mrs. Ketchum said.

"It is a stressful time, but my parents never really let it get to them. Even on the hardest time of the year for them they remain poised and calm", Holly said.

"That's good. I guess you can't really let the stress get to you, considering what's at stake", Brock said. The others nodded in agreement. Before long, they had reached Prof. Oak's lab. The field was blanketed in a thick layer of snow and seemed untouched or disturbed. The Pokemon, most of which not able to stand the cold, did not go outside very long during the winter season. The lab itself however looked warm and inviting. A cloud of smoke rose from a chimney staff on the building and the outside was decorated with white lights and even some garland. The gang walked up the long driveway and made their way to the front door. Ash knocked on the door and waited for a response. Within seconds, someone opened the door and the gang smiled at Prof. Oak. He smiled back.

"Hello Prof. Oak!", the gang said happily.

"Why hello everyone, glad you were all able to make it so quickly!", Prof. Oak said cheerfully. Pikachu made himself more noticeable to the Professor.

"Pika!", Pikachu said happily. Prof. Oak smiled at the little yellow rodent.

"And of course it's good to see you again Pikachu, looking healthy as always...and Togepi! You're looking good as well!", Prof. Oak said looking at Pikachu, and then over to Togepi. Prof. Oak then stepped to the side. "How rude of me, please, come in, out of the cold". He opened the door wide and allowed everyone to step inside. With the last of the group now in the lab, Prof. Oak closed the door behind them. The gang shook the cold off and took off their jackets and scarves. Mr. Mime put the umbrella away and Prof. Oak looked at the gang.

"Well I hope you're all excited as I am. Food is provided in the main hall for you all, and some guests are already here. Gary and Tracy are some wheres, but I'm not so sure where exactly. May and Max are getting ready but they'll be down shortly. Delia, there are drinks as well in the hall if you're interested", Prof. Oak said. Mrs. Ketchum nodded politely and looked over to Mr. Mime.

"Well then, shall we go?", Mrs. Ketchum said. Mr. Mime nodded and the two left the others and walked to the main hall. Pikachu and Togepi, seeing that they were leaving, hopped off of their trainers and quickly made their way to the hall as well. They couldn't wait for the snacks that Prof. Oak was sure to have. Prof. Oak meanwhile turned to the others, mostly however Evan and Holly.

"Evan, it's nice to see you again, haven't seen you in quite a few years", Prof. Oak said cheerfully. Evan smiled and nodded.

"Nice to see you again too Professor", Evan stated. Prof. Oak nodded back. He then looked around to see if anyone else was around them, and then got closer to the teens.

"Now the others all told me about your..."abilities" we'll say. Needless to say your secret is safe with me", Prof. Oak said. Evan nodded.

"Much appreciated Professor", Evan said. Prof. Oak then turned over to Holly.

"And you must be Holly correct? May and Max told me all about you. A pleasure to meet you my dear", Prof. Oak said. Holly smiled and made a small bow.

"Thank you Professor, nice to meet you as well", Holly stated. Prof. Oak then stepped back and looked to the gang entirely.

"Well then, now that we're all acquainted, please go and enjoy yourselves! I'm sure the others will all be excited to see you again", Prof. Oak said. The gang all smiled and became excited.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!", Ash said. The others nodded and made their way to the main hall. They soon entered the hall and all gasped at what they saw. The entire hall was greatly decorated with Christmas lights, garland, and the like. Green pine hung from the walls going all the way down the hall, occasionally entwined with red ribbon bows. The large windows were completely encircled with white Christmas lights that sparkled brightly and made the room seem more peaceful and warm. There were a few long tables that were placed in the hall, some of which had food placed on it and others chairs for guests. There room also has the chairs and couches that were in the room before the holidays. The food was all of the typical holiday treats, red punch, nuts, ham, turkey, egg nog, bread, and even fruit cake.

"Wow! Prof. Oak really went all out this year didn't he?", Ash asked. Brock smirked.

"Well doesn't he always?", Brock stated. This was true. Prof. Oak, like many of the Pokemon professors, was well off in terms of money. He wasn't one for flaunting his wealth, but he did love to decorate the lab lavishly for the holidays. Gary always felt that it was "overkill", but no one else ever minded, they loved seeing them.

"And look at that tree!", Misty stated in shock and awe, pointing to the end of the hall. Everyone looked to the end of the hall and smiled. Standing tall and proud, beside a large fireplace that roared with a warm inviting blaze, was a large Christmas tree. Due to the size of the hall, Prof. Oak was able to have nearly a full grown tree for the holidays. It's branches were covered in ornaments and bulbs of different colors and sizes, but all of them looked like they were placed on with care. White lights that seemed to sparkle even more than the ones by the window covered the entire tree from trunk to tip. Ribbons and beads also wrapped around the tree and reached to the top, where a very bright white star was placed. It was nothing compared to Evan's authentic stars, but was a great substitute.

The teens approached the tree and gazed at its beauty. They looked to the top as their eyes sparkled from the lights and gleams of the decorations and lights. Looking at this tree, the symbol of the holidays and togetherness, they felt a warm feeling inside of them. They felt whole, happy, sensational. It was as if any problems they may of had were now gone forever, and they had nothing but joy in their hearts. It was a feeling that, despite them having every Christmas, they never got over. They all smiled and gazed at the tree in happiness.

"I really feel like...wow", Ash said, not even being able to put into words what he was feeling. He had never thought much of this feeling, until now. He always figured it was just the holiday spirit, but now for some reason, it felt like much more. The others all nodded.

"I know what you mean, I feel it too", Misty said, putting her free hand to her heart, (her other hand was wrapped around Ash's waist, as his was to hers. "It's like...warm, peaceful".

"Yeah, me too", Brock said. Evan smiled and nodded knowingly.

"That's the feeling of inner happiness and peace", Evan said. The others looked to him, wanting to know more about it. He continued to look at the tree however. "I can sense that you're having this feeling, since it's my job to spread it. It's that feeling that I try to give to everyone around the holidays. The feeling of peace and joy, something that Christmas is all about". Holly smiled and looked to the teens, since she was closer to them than Evan was.

"If everyone had that feeling, there would be peace on Earth", Holly explained.

"Then...how come not everyone does? It seems easy to feel", Ash said. Evan sighed.

"Unfortunately it's not so easy for others. Some people are simply to sad, angered, distracted with other things to really think about what the holidays are really about. Happiness, joy, peace, family. They fail to see this and so, fail to have this amazing feeling inside of them", Evan explained. Holly seemed somewhat disappointed.

"It's what my father has tried to spread for years, something that the world has lost over the years. He used to be able to do it thousands of years ago, when things were simpler and people were closer together. But because of the way things are now, it's nearly impossible. That's why he had Evan become the spirit of Christmas, so that he can spread the feelings. He hoped that someone like him would be able to easier than he could, especially with him being so busy", Holly explained. Evan nodded. The teens seemed somewhat disappointed by this fact.

"That's too bad. I wish that everyone would be able to feel this same feeling that we have right now", Misty said. Ash moved his hand and placed it on her shoulder with a smile. Misty looked up to him.

"Don't worry, sometime they will. It may not be this year, or next year...but sometime soon...everyone will feel the happiness and peace", Ash said reassuringly. Misty remained silent for a few seconds before nodding with a smile.

"Right!", Misty said. Ash nodded back to her.

"Right", Ash replied. The group remained quiet for a bit, enjoying the feeling for a little while longer, before Brock turned to the others.

"Why don't we go and find the others? They're missing the party!", Brock said. Ash and the others nodded back.

"Good idea, they're probably all upstairs, let's go see", Ash said. The group then turned and were about to make their way out of the hall to the stairs, when suddenly Holly felt something gently grasp her hand. She stopped and turned around to see Evan stopping her.

"Holly, wait...I wanna talk to you", Evan said. Holly looked at him for a bit and then nodded. She knew that he wanted to. She then turned to the others with a smile, making sure she didn't worry them.

"Hey, if you don't mind, we'll catch up to you in a minute. Ok?", Holly asked. The teens seemed somewhat confused over why they wouldn't go with them immediately, but figured it was nothing to worry about. They nodded.

"Alright, see you in a bit then", Ash said. He gently grasped Misty's hand and then the three teens made their way across the hall, (to the left of the fireplace and tree), and towards their destination. Holly watched as they left. She looked on as Ash and Misty held hands and felt the same feeling in her chest she had felt earlier. She wished that she could be in the same situation as they were in...until she realized that she in fact, was. Evan had never released her hand when he had grasped it. She turned around and faced Evan now. They're eyes met for a few seconds, although to her it felt more like hours. He soon released her hand and motioned away from where they were, towards one of the large windows behind them.

Despite being somewhat depressed that Evan had released her hand, (and somewhat confused as to why she was feeling this to begin with), she nodded and slowly followed him to the window. She figured that this wasn't so much as to show her something as to have some more privacy. In this section of the hall there were no people, everyone who was there was near the tables or walking about talking to other people. Evan turned around and looked into Holly's eyes. Holly was somewhat flustered by this, but hid it.

"So Holly...what's been bothering you? I can't feel the Christmas spirit in you like I did the others, which is very unlike you. I know that you've been down since we went shopping, but I don't know why", Evan said. Holly held her arm and looked away from Evan for a moment. She didn't really want to talk about the old man in the store to him. Not that he wouldn't care, but she found it uncomfortable. Death was something that, despite being a jolly Claus, she was more than used to. She didn't know a lot of humans, and the reason was because of that, their lives were so much shorter than hers that she didn't want to be heartbroken when they died and she remained young. Heck, her best friend was already dead, which only made the situation feel more awkward and sad.

"Sorry Evan, I just...I don't want to talk about it. I know you only care about me, and that you're not trying to make me feel this way, but it's personal", Holly said. Evan understood this, knowing that, being an Angel and not a actual mortal, (as untypical as Holly's case was), made him different than most people. He didn't have the same problems as them because of this. However, he didn't want to see Holly so upset.

"Are you sure?...Holly, I don't want to make you feel any worse, but I can't help you if you don't talk to me", Evan explained. Holly bit her lip, uncertain of what to do. She knew that he would help her, but she was afraid of making her feelings feel worse than they already were. Eventually however, she gave in. She slowly walked closer to the window, leaning her left side against it while she looked out the frosted glass. She kept holding onto her arm as she watched. Evan went to the other side of the window and leaned against it, his back to the wall.

"...Do you remember the old man who runs the trinket store in Cerulean? "Keepsakes"?", Holly asked. Evan immediately reflected back to the old man whom he knew, the one who helped Ash with his gift for Misty four years ago.

"Yeah, I know him. Why do you ask?", Evan asked.

"Well, we were shopping in there earlier, and he told us how you and Ash and Brock were there before. I thought that it would be a good place for May to find a gift for Drew", Holly explained. Evan listened, knowing that this was leading to her problem. "After we shopped there, we were about to leave when he pulled me aside. And...he told me...that, this would be, his last Christmas". Evan turned to Holly, now understanding her problem. He felt bad about it, knowing how death bothered Holly. He sighed.

"Oh...I see", Evan said.

"Did you know?", Holly asked. Evan seemed slightly taken back by this question, but only slightly. Being an Angel, and having worked with the old man before, he was normally good at knowing when someone would be passing onto the next world. But this time he did not know.

"No...I didn't. Your father must of decided to keep it from us, either he didn't think we would go shopping there or he wanted us to find out for ourselves", Evan explained. "So...that's why you've been feeling down". Holly nodded. She seemed a bit more saddened now than before.

"Yes...I just, I wish that everyone was like us, or at least like me, where they can live a lot longer", Holly said.

"I know what you mean", Evan said. With this, Holly turned to Evan, tears in her eyes.

"How could you? You're different!", Holly said. Although her tone was raised she was still quiet.

"Because I _was _alive once! Holly, I understand what you're going through, I've been an angel long enough to know what it's like to never change as everyone around you is getting old and dying. Unfortunately there's nothing you can do about it. You can't change the natural order of things, no matter how much you want to...Trust me Holly, if I could, I would change it for you, so that you never have to feel this pain you're feeling now...but I just can't", Evan explained. Holly sighed, the tears in her eyes beginning to come down slowly.

"I know, I know. I just...don't like it. I can't imagine how my parents were able to do it, they've been alive longer than both of us", Holly said.

"They probably got used to it", Evan replied.

"I can't imagine getting used to something like that...but there's nothing I can do about it...I'm sorry Evan, I didn't mean to bother you with this. I'm just sad over the whole thing. I shouldn't be acting this was around Christmas time", Holly said with a smile, although the tears were still coming down. Evan smiled. He walked over to Holly.

"It's alright. It's understandable. I'm glad I was able to help. Just...smile a little bit more huh? You look more like an angel than me when you do", Evan said with a smile. He then placed his hands up onto her cheeks and brushed the tears away with his thumb. Holly smiled, blushing like crazy, though she hoped that Evan wouldn't be able to see it in the dim light. Suddenly, Evan did something that she didn't in all her years of living see coming. He quickly moved forward and pressed his lips against her forehead. Holly's face turned as red as her hair as she stood there, shocked beyond belief. It was clear that Evan didn't do it in a romantic way, but rather like a mother would her child. But it still didn't make the shock any less surprising.

Evan pulled back from the gentle kiss quickly, (not realizing the effect it had on Holly), and smiled as he looked into her eyes. He could see the shocked expression, but did not know why she had it. However, he ignored it.

"Feeling better?", Evan asked. Suddenly, Holly felt feelings in her body and heart. The sad, depressing feelings she had been feeling for awhile now were immediately gone, and filled with something she had never once felt before. They were so strong, so powerful, that she immediately gave into them without even realizing what she was doing. Her heart was beating quickly and her mind was blank. It was as if her heart itself had taken over her body. She suddenly grabbed Evan's white sweater with her hands and pulled him closer to her. She got on her tip toes and, within a split second, kissed Evan on the lips. The kiss wasn't very hard, in fact, the kiss was the softest either of them had ever felt. Evan was completely shocked, his eyes wide and his body frozen. Holly however still did not register this in her brain.

After a few silent seconds, Holly slowly released Evan and looked up at him. As quickly as the feeling had taken over her, the feeling was now gone. She stared at Evan, unable to speak, unable to believe what she had just done. Her mouth was slightly open in shock, as if she was trying to think of what to say, but thought of nothing. Evan's expression was the same, complete shock.

"I...I'm so sorry...I didn't, I didn't know what came over me...wow", Holly whispered. She couldn't believe what she had done, but the feeling of it felt so...good. But the good feeling did not hide the embarrassment she felt for it. Her face was beat red and her breathing shallow. She immediately turned and ran away from the hall and towards where the others were, hoping to hide from the moment, at least for now. Evan merely stood there, still in shock, as if he didn't even know she left. Finally, after a long moment of silence, he spoke.

"Well...I take it you feel better", Evan said. Meanwhile, the others were all looking upstairs for their friends. It had only been a minute or so since they had separated from Holly and Evan, and they were still currently looking for the others. Ash, Misty, and Brock were fairly familiar with Prof. Oak's entire lab, but even so it was large, and they were only looking for a few people.

"Man, I always seem to get lost when I'm here. Do you think Prof. Oak changes up the lab on purpose?", Ash asked, looking back and forth. Brock chuckled.

"I doubt it. I'm sure we'll run into the others soon", Brock said. As they walked, Brock looked into a room to his left, stopped walking mid-step, and laughed. "And speak of the devil!". Ash and Misty, who were just barely ahead of him, stopped, turned around, and looked into the same room Brock was looking in. The three all smiled. Inside the room was Gary, who was standing in front of a mirror, trying to put on a tie. He wore a dark purple dress shirt and black pants. The tie was a purple as well, although he seemed to be having trouble putting it on.

"Hey Gary!", Ash said. Gary turned around quickly to see the teens by the door. He smiled.

"There you are! Wondering when you were going to arrive", Gary replied. The three of them entered the room and watched as Gary tried once again at his tie. "So when did you get here?".

"About five minutes ago. Prof. Oak said that you and the others were up here so we wanted to see", Ash answered. Gary nodded.

"Yeah, Tracy is somewheres. May and Max are getting ready too. They said that Evan was back, that's awesome. And I guess he brought a friend? Is this "Holly" girl really Santa's daughter?", Gary asked. Brock nodded.

"Yep, shocking I know. But it's all true", Brock replied.

"Wow...I'm finding it hard to believe. But after seeing what Evan can do, I'm never surprised anymore", Gary said. He then sighed and released the ends of the tie. "You know, after having to wear one nearly everyday you'd think I would know how to tie a tie". Misty giggled and walked over to him. She made him turn to face her and began to tie the tie herself.

"Don't worry, I'm used to doing them for Ash too occasionally", Misty said. Ash blushed in embarrassment. While she tied the tie, Gary looked at her hands. He noticed that they were bare and chuckled.

"So, Ash hasn't popped the question yet I see", Gary said jokingly. Misty blushed heavily although she did not stop working on the tie. Ash, blushing as well, grabbed a pillow from Gary's bed and threw it at his back. Brock of course couldn't help but laugh. Especially since he knew that Ash was going to for Christmas.

"Oh shush!", Ash said. Gary smirked.

"What? A touchy subject?", Gary asked.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want Ash to make a comment like that if _you_ had a girlfriend", Misty said.

"But I don't, so it doesn't matter", Gary said. Misty smirked somewhat as she finished the tie. Gary looked in the mirror for a moment, deciding that it was fine, and nodded. "Thanks". Misty nodded in response.

"Do you know how much longer it will be for May and Max to be ready?", Ash asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'd imagine that they're done by now, but I don't know for sure", Gary said. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps from outside could be heard. Everyone looked out the door and waited to see who would appear. Within a few seconds, someone walked into the room, in somewhat of a rush. It was Tracy. He didn't appear to realize that Ash and the others were in the room, as he was immediately talking.

"Hey Gary, do you know if Ash and...OH, HEY!", Tracy said, now seeing Ash and the others. He immediately brought his hand forward to shake Ash and Brock's hands. "Long time no see!".

"I agree!", Brock said, shaking his hand. After he did this he shook Ash's hand, and then walked over to give Misty a hug.

"I was just about to ask Gary if you guys arrived yet", Tracy said while he hugged the red headed girl. Misty smiled.

"We're glad to see you Tracy, and don't you look nice!", Misty remarked. Tracy smiled a bit, not used to dressing up the way he did. He wore a green dress shirt with black pants and black shoes. Unlike Gary, he did not have a tie.

"Yeah, as you would imagine I don't have a lot of dress clothes, had to get these sent to me from my parents back at the islands", Tracy explained. The group all laughed. Gary glanced over to Tracy as he walked over to his bed.

"Hey, do you know if May and Max are done getting ready yet?", Gary asked. Tracy nodded.

"Yeah, they're just about done. We should be seeing them soon", Tracy answered. Gary sat down on his bed and bent over to grab a pair of black dress shoes that were resting right by the side of where his feet were. He then began to place his feet into them and tie them tight.

"Bout time, they took way too long. I got ready not even half an hour ago and I'm already done!", Gary said. Misty giggled.

"Well, you know how they are. May's got so many outfits she probably doesn't know which one to choose. And Max hates dressing up and is probably purposely taking his time with it", Misty said. The others nodded in agreement. Gary finished tying his shoes and then stood up, completely finished with getting ready.

"Alright, well I say we go downstairs and enjoy the party, May and Max will get down there when they're ready. Where are Evan and Holly anyway?", Gary asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot they were here! May told me all about it!", Tracy said. Ash turned to Gary to answer him.

"They said they were going to meet us up here. They were talking about something, but I don't know what", Ash explained.

"Probably nothing important. Well, let's get going, I could use some punch", Brock said with a slight chuckle. The group of teens then walked out of Gary's room and then made their way back down the hall where they had come from. They chatted a bit, catching up on old times and laughing all the way. They had not been together like this in a year or so and had a lot of things to talk about. It got to the point where they were forming tears in their eyes from laughter.

"And so then Dora, my lab assistant, backs up and steps on a Rhyhorn nest! It didn't damage anything really, but my god I've never seen her run faster! That Rhyhorn chased her all around the island! Funniest thing I've ever seen!", Gary explained through laughs. The entire group laughed out loud, wiping away tears and holding their chests.

"That reminds me of when Ash ran through this cave to see what was in there, and before me and Brock could even walk in after him, he comes running out with a Zubat biting his head! He's screaming out loud running in circles with all of these Zubats flying around, dodging his flailing arms!", Misty said with giggles. The teens burst into laughter even more, even Ash, who was blushing a big in embarrassment.

"Haha...my chest hurts from laughing so much...", Brock said through his smile and laughs, holding his chest.

"I know, mine too! We really need to get together more often!", Tracy said, wiping a tear away from his face. The group then began to calm down a bit before they looked ahead of them and spotted people ahead of them. At the end of the hall, (at the top of the stairs in fact), chatting away, was May, Holly, and Max. It appeared that May was doing most of the talking, showing off her Christmas outfit. Holly smiled, complimenting her on it apparently. Max seemed somewhat bored, but didn't want to leave for whatever reason. The girls and Max then turned around to see the older teens approaching them. They all smiled at them.

"There you are! We were just going to go look for you!", May said. Ash smiled.

"Yeah, we were going to look for you too. We were just catching up on things", Ash said, still finding it hard to breath from the laughter.

"I can tell, you all look like you've been laughing a lot", Holly said with a giggle. They all nodded with a chuckle. Misty turned to Misty and gazed at her outfit.

"May! I love your dress!", Misty said. May smiled and spun around, showing it off a bit. Like Holly's, it was a red dress, but May showed her bare legs instead of wearing leggings and wore furry tan boots with them. She also had her hair down more naturally.

"Thanks! My mom helped me pick it out from my others. I love it!", May said. She then grinned and side stepped, showing them Max. "And look at Max! Doesn't he look cute?". Max blushed and tried to hide himself from the others, but with nothing to hide by he failed to do so. The boys giggled at the young boy. He wore an argyle sweater that was mostly green with some brown and black over a black dress shirt and black pants. He did however keep on his normal sneakers, probably drawing a line with his parents. He blushed at the boy's response. They weren't laughing so much at his outfit, but Max's response to it.

"Oh shut up!", Max said annoyed. Misty giggled.

"Oh ignore them, you look adorable!", Misty said. Max blushed more, although it didn't make him feel any better. May giggled and grabbed her little brother by the arm.

"She's right! You look so cute! I bet you're gonna get all the girls!", May said. As a joke, her and Misty then moved in and gave Max a quick kiss on the cheeks. Max stuck his tongue out and rubbed his cheeks.

"Ewww!", Max yelled. The entire group all burst out into laughter. As they calmed down, Ash looked over to Holly.

"Hey Holly, what were you and Evan talking about anyway...and for that matter, where is Evan?", Ash asked. Holly immediately stopped laughing and blushed heavily. She was afraid that someone would ask this question.

"Uhm...he's probably somewheres downstairs, talking to people I'm sure. We didn't talk about anything though, nothing important!", Holly said, almost too fast for them. They looked somewhat suspicious, but knew it wasn't their business. Ash shrugged.

"Alright, well let's go downstairs and see!", Ash said. Holly became worried, but knew that there was nothing she could do about this. And so slowly, she followed the others as they made their way down the stairs. The stairs were somewhat circular, but the circular turn was not steep at all. Because of this, the stairs only made a semi-circle from top to bottom. As the group made their way down the stairs, mid-way through they spotted Evan coming up the stairs. He stopped when he saw them coming and smiled, although something about his personality seemed different. None of the others could think of it, but they knew something was up. He looked at Holly somewhat nervously, as she did to him.

"There you are!", Ash said. Evan nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, I was...just talking to people", Evan said. Ash smiled.

"We figured as much. Come on, let's go!", Ash said. He then walked past Evan and down the stairs, excited to join in on the party. As the others began to pass by Evan, Misty looked at him, noticed something, and then stopped. She looked intently at his face.

"Wait...is that...is that lipstick on your lips?", Misty asked. Evan's face turned red in embarrassment. Holly's did as well, though no one noticed hers. "Are you wearing lipstick Evan?".

"What? No! Of course not, this is just, chapstick. I probably put too much on, gave it a red hue", Evan said. Misty seemed somewhat skeptical, but shrugged.

"I guess. Haha, at first I thought you kissed someone! Imagine if you kissed Holly and that's how you got it!", Misty said with a giggle, walking past Evan. Evan sweatdropped.

"Yeah...imagine", Evan said. He then looked up to Holly. The two both blushed immensely and looked away from each other, hiding their embarrassment as they followed the others to the party.

**IT'S FINALLY DONE! JEEZ! You wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to finish this chapter! I started working on this update in early November! A month later it's up! I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this by Christmas like I hoped. :/ I have so much going on with personal life, (nothing bad, just busy), and of course the holidays take up a lot of my time. I'm shopping, helping charities, decorating, getting ready for parties, and taking care of my mom who can barely move with rheumatoid arthritis. But I will try to get updates for this up as soon as I can! I understand it's been awhile since I had ANYTHING up, and for that I apologize. I'm not dead, just busy. But thank you for your concern! I'm curious to see the F.A.R.s for this one since it's been so long since I've updated it. Can't wait! Also, I am working on the next chapter for "R" as well, so expect that to come out...eventually. -_- And as a final little A.N., I would like to give a shout-out to my new friend brenna963! Be sure to check out her stories, she's just started writing and I would like people to see her talent! She will also have a OC appear soon in "R"! Well, that's it for now I guess, I hope you all are doing well! New York is FINALLY getting snow! (which as I type this has just melted...blah. -_-). Oh well, until next time my friends!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML **


	6. Dec 23rd Believe

**Ugh...yeah...not feeling too well for this update. Sorry for the delay...again. I've gotten myself sick again, something that normally NEVER happens but now for some reason happens all the time. It's like the past few months I've been a magnet for sickness! Blah, oh well. My apologies ladies and gentleman for not reaching the Christmas deadline I originally intended to a lot happened since then, including a internet problem and of course the holidays, (I had like, 4 Christmas parties, you know how those can be). But I'm back now, and hopefully the chapter update will make up for lost time!**

**-EVAN AAML**

The gang of young adults made their way to the party downstairs, where guests were beginning to arrive and converse with each other. Although most of them were scientists and friends of the professor, some were people of Pallet, whom Ash, Gary, and others were familiar with. They were all dressed for the occasion, and were talking of the decorations, holidays with their families, and typical going ons within town and their businesses. Ash and the others talked to whom they wished, although usually they kept it brief. After the group separated and did what they wanted, Ash, Brock, Holly, and Evan found themselves at the buffet, where a large assortment of food and drink was placed. Ash's eyes gleamed as he looked at the snacks before him, causing Brock to laugh.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you would be here eventually", Brock said. Ash nodded.

"Of course, what's a party without indulging on the little meals that come with it?", Ash asked. Brock smirked.

"Indulged? That's a big word for you Ash, I see Misty has been rubbing off on you!", Brock said. Ash sweatdropped.

"Thanks Brock, nice to know you think so little of me", Ash said. Brock laughed. The two adults then looked over to see Pikachu and Togepi walking towards them. They had been at the table since their arrival and it showed. Pikachu looked full but content, while Togepi looked as playful as ever, possibly on a sugar rush. Pikachu walked over to Ash and sat on the table, holding his belly and sighing heavily. Ash chuckled, petting his friend on the head behind the ears.

"Had your full already huh buddy?", Ash asked. Pikachu nodded with a sigh, rolling over onto the table and laying there, unable to move any further. Togepi rushed over to Brock and bounced up and down merrily. Brock laughed and picked up the little egg Pokemon.

"And you look like you've had nothing but candy and cookies, am I right?", Brock asked. Togepi merely chirped in response. As Brock held the little egg Pokemon, Holly and Evan looked over to them.

"Looks like the Pokemon have enjoyed themselves", Holly said with a giggle.

"You got that right", Brock said, holding Togepi. Ash shook his head with a smile.

"They're gonna be too full and tired now, they won't be able to enjoy everything else!", Ash said, reaching over and picking up a clear plastic cup filled with what he presumed was fruit punch. As he was about to put the cup to his lips, Brock leaned over and placed his hand on his arm, stopping him. Ash looked at him confused.

"You realize that that punch has alcohol in it right?", Brock said.

"Oh!", Ash said, realizing his mistake. Although he was technically old enough to drink it, he didn't. It wasn't for Misty's sake, nor was it something his mother pounded into his head, (although this was something she did), but more because he just wasn't a fan of the stuff, and didn't feel like partaking in it. He placed the cup back down and grabbed one further away. This one was also fruit punch, but Brock nodded, knowing it wasn't spiked. Ash smiled and began to drink. Suddenly, the sound of music began to ring in the hall and people started to smile, cheer, and sing along to "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree". Evan looked up, listening to the song, and then sighed.

"Eh, you know, I much prefer the music that people played around the holidays back in the olden days. I'm not a fan of the more modern day tunes", Evan said. Ash and Brock looked over to him with a chuckle and sweatdrop. He considered this music modern, although it was much older than Ash and Brock. Holly however giggled.

"You just prefer the slower, more romantic Christmas music", Holly said. Evan shrugged, knowing she was right. She then turned around and smiled. "And it looks like the others are enjoying it!". The boys turned around to see several people dancing to the song, including May and Misty, who were dancing together and giggling. Evan smirked.

"Well, to each their own", Evan said. As the four watched the other guests and friends dance, they laughed and talked about the silly things they would do, such as one couple spinning each other around like rag dolls, and another man trying to dance for his little kids, who were all laughing. Suddenly, a thought crossed Ash's mind. He glanced over to Evan.

"Hey Evan", Ash said. Evan and the other three looked over to Ash.

"Yes?", Evan asked.

"You said that friends of ours were going to come over, are they here already?", Ash asked. Evan recalled the conversation and looked around. He studied the people at the party and eventually shook his head.

"No, they're not here yet. But I'm sure they'll be here any second", Evan said. Although Ash was very curious as to who these "friends" were, he decided not to bother asking who they were. They would arrive soon enough, and then he would know. "But that being said, I should let Prof. Oak know that they're coming, he would like to know, excuse me", Evan said. He then stepped away from the table and walked off, looking for the professor. Ash and Brock seemed confused as to why he would want him to know about the guests arriving. They figured that he would just like to be polite and let him know, and left it at that. They then turned over to Holly.

"So Holly, are you enjoying your first Christmas party with typical humans?", Brock asked. Holly turned to him and smiled with a nod.

"Yes, very much. It's a lot like I hoped for", Holly said.

"I'd imagine you also got some surprises, am I right?", Ash asked. This question threw Holly off, she began to blush, reflecting immediately to the kiss she had given Evan out of what she could only guess at was passion for the moment. She became embarrassed and twiddled with her fingers.

"Uhm, I guess you can say that", Holly said. Suddenly, a older, attractive woman walked past the three. She seemed to be alone and minding her own business. Brock's eyes immediately lit up and he smiled with a goofy grin. He gently placed Togepi down onto the table and looked at Ash and Holly.

"Hello! Uhm, if you two will excuse me, I see a lady who could use some attention!", Brock said. Holly blushed at the comment and Ash laughed, used to Brock's antics.

"Good luck buddy!", Ash said. Brock smirked and gave him a thumbs up as he walked off towards the woman. Ash laughed some more.

"He'll never learn. Oh well, maybe one day he'll get lucky", Ash said. Holly giggled a bit at the comment. This left the two of them alone at the table. The Pokemon sat on the table, Togepi now over her sugar rush and relaxing much like Pikachu. Ash and Holly remained quiet for a bit, not sure of what to talk about. Everyone else was having fun and enjoying themselves, ignoring the two young adults. Ash suddenly stepped closer to Holly and leaned to her, as if he was going to whisper something to her. "So Holly, did you enjoy kissing Evan?", Ash asked. Holly immediately gasped, blushing madly.

"What? How!", Holly said. She then realized she was being too loud for her own good. No one had heard her, but she didn't want to gather any attention on the matter. She softened her voice. "How did you know about that? No one else knew!", Holly said now whispering. Her face was as red as her hair and she looked like she was in a panic. Ash chuckled slightly, understanding the emotions she was probably feeling.

"I used to always miss this kind of stuff when I was younger. But ever since me and Misty got together, I've began to notice the little hints. I guess Misty's rubbed off on me in that sense. I could tell that there was something between you two, and I overheard Misty talking to Evan on the stairs about the lip stick. I put two and two together and, here we are", Ash explained. Holly blushed even more.

"It wasn't like that I swear! We were just talking and...I don't know what happened! It was like something was taking over me, I couldn't control it!", Holly explained. Ash nodded, understanding.

"I know what you mean. I've been there. It's weird to think that, being as old as you are, you're just now feeling this", Ash said casually, taking a drink from his cup. Holly however failed to see the casual nature of the conversation. She got closer to him.

"What? What am I feeling?", Holly asked. Ash looked at her with a smile.

"Well love of course!", Ash said. Holly's face now reached a new level of red. So red, that Ash swore that all of the blood in her body went straight to her face. Despite this he chuckled. He knew she was embarrassed, he's felt that way about Misty plenty of times.

"But, I don't _love _Evan! We're best friends!", Holly said. Ash smirked.

"Really? Is that _all _you are?", Ash asked. Holly was going to argue once again over the matter, but stopped. She reflected back to what the old man at the mall had said before they parted ways. He had said to spend more time with Evan this year. Then she recalled her thinking over the whole issue, and the feelings she was having during it. Maybe Ash was right after all. She knew that there was something special between her and Evan for a long time now, many many years in fact. But she merely thought it was a special relationship, a bond that couldn't be broken. She had no idea that it was in fact love. She blushed, (although this blush was much less severe than the previous ones), and looked away from Ash.

"...May...maybe you're right...", Holly said. She then softened her voice even more so. To the point where even Ash had to get closer just to hear her. "...I do love Evan". Ash smiled, holding a glass up to her.

"Congratulations Holly...I'm proud of you", Ash said, taking a sip of his drink. Holly couldn't help but smile thinking of it. For years her parents have joked about Holly finding her one true love, talking about how, when they got married, they would be able to take over the family business for them. She always blushed and brushed the subject away, embarrassed that her parents would be talking about it. But deep down, she always wondered when she would meet her one true love herself. Little did she know, he was beside her all this time. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Thinking it was Ash, she turned around with a smile, only to be met with a different pair of eyes. Bright blue ones.

"Uh, Holly...you alright?", Evan asked. Holly's face turned bright red and she screamed in shock. Ash sweatdropped. Evan however seemed entirely confused over the matter. Despite his powers and knowledge, he had no idea why Holly was acting this way. Holly covered her mouth and looked away from Evan, trying to avoid eye contact.

"What? What is it?", Holly asked, still covering her mouth. Evan couldn't help but chuckle. He thought it was cute how she was acting despite not knowing why she was acting that way.

"I was just wondering how you were doing, you seemed lost in thought", Evan said. Holly was still embarrassed but tried to go along with it.

"I'm fine, we were just talking is all!", Holly said. Ash couldn't help but chuckle over it. Evan then turned to Ash, confused. Ash shook his head.

"It was nothing, just asking her advice on something with Misty. Did you tell Prof. Oak yet about your guests?", Ash asked, changing the subject for Holly's sake. Evan nodded.

"Yes, I told him. He seemed worried at first but I explained it to him and he calmed down", Evan said. Ash seemed confused by this statement. Surely Prof. Oak wouldn't be worried over a few more guests coming over to this party...unless he wasn't worried about the number of guests, but who the guests were exactly. Suddenly, there was the sound of a loud banging noise. They could tell it was someone at the door. Evan smiled. "I have a feeling that these are the guests we were just talking about, let's go let them in shall we?", Evan asked. Ash nodded. The two then walked off to the front door, leaving Holly behind. She sighed in relief when they left, glad that Ash was able to distract Evan.

She turned back around and leaned slightly over the table, now smiling like a little school girl who had just asked how her long time crush. She sighed and played with a cup in front of her. Suddenly, she looked over to see Pikachu walking up to her. He seemed better from his stomach ache and waddled over to the girl. Pikachu placed his paw on her hand and smiled.

"Pikachu!", Pikachu said. Holly giggled.

"So you heard the conversation too huh?", Holly asked. Pikachu nodded. Holly smiled and scratched the little rodent's tummy, causing Pikachu to sigh. "Well at least I don't have to worry about you telling anyone huh?". Pikachu rolled onto the table and allowed Holly to scratch the rest of his stomach. Meanwhile, Ash and Evan were just reaching the front door.

"I've been wondering for awhile who these guests of yours are Evan", Ash said. Evan chuckled.

"Well you'll soon find out!", Evan said. Ash then reached forward and grabbed the door handle. He turned it and opened the door. Standing outside in the snow were three figures. Two of them were clearly scientists, dressed up exactly as Prof. Oak always is. One was tall with short red hair in a bun on the side and glasses. She wore heels, (a odd thing for a girl to wear in the winter, but Ash disregarded it), and a long pencil skirt. The other scientist was a male with a big fuzzy beard and clouded glasses. He seemed much older than even Prof. Oak. Standing between them was a extremely short scientist with glasses much like the older gentleman's. Ash however was puzzled, he did not recognize them at all.

The three figures were shaking, Ash figured this was because of the cold outside. However, their actions seemed confusing at first glance.

"Uhm, welcome! Are you here for the party?", Ash asked the three scientists. Evan looked over to the figures and laughed slightly. Ash turned around, wondering why he was laughing. It was clear that Evan recognized them, but why was he laughing?

"You guys don't have to wear those disguises you know, we're aware that you're here Team Rocket", Evan said. Ash immediately gasped and turned to the scientists.

"TEAM ROCKET?", Ash yelled. The three figures gasped in shock.

"WHY'D YOU TELL HIM?", The older man asked. Evan chuckled.

"Because, this is a Christmas party, we're all here in good spirits, no one is going to blast you off!", Evan said with a smile. Evan gently brushed Ash to the side as he allowed space for the three to enter. "Please, come in". Ash looked to Evan in skepticism as the three entered the building.

"You do realize that you invited our worst enemies to this party at a Pokemon lab right?", Ash asked Evan. Evan smiled.

"Yes, I'm well aware of what I did. Do you not remember Ash? Four years ago, I gave them pure hearts just like I did for Togepi. They're not bad people really. And on Christmas you forget about your problems and hate. So when you were all getting ready for the party, I went off to find them. Didn't take me long, they were in the forest just outside of Pallet actually. I told them what I was doing here, and I invited them to the party", Evan explained. Ash looked to Evan.

"Yes, I remember you giving them the pure hearts, but I don't think it did anything. We've still been fighting like we've always have, they still try to take our Pokemon!", Ash explained. Evan nodded.

"I know they do. Giving them pure hearts won't change who they are, or for that matter change their profession. It just gives them more feeling, more understanding about goodness", Evan explained. He then looked to Ash with a smile. "Don't worry, they won't steal any Pokemon, we came to an agreement. They won't cause trouble, and you won't blast them off". The red headed girl scoffed.

"Pft, as if it would be that easy!", the female said. The other two people nervously chuckled.

"Well, they do have an impressive track record with it", the older man said.

"Yeah, and we'ves don't exactly have anything to protect us dis time", the short person exclaimed. The female sighed heavily, defeated.

"Yeah, I guess you're right", the female said. Evan smiled.

"So like I said, you don't need those disguises anymore", Evan said. The three looked at Evan.

"We'd like to change, but...", the older man said.

"We don't have anything else to wear", the female said. Evan and Ash sweatdropped. But soon, the angel shook it off and smiled.

"Well, I can fix that!", Evan said as he held his right hand up. He snapped his fingers, and immediately, the costumes on Team Rocket disappeared, replaced with entirely new outfits. Jessie's professor costume was replaced with a dark red dress with a slit down at the bottom for her legs and a white puffy boa around her neck. She also wore red heels, much like the ones she had on already. Jame's old man outfit was replaced with a dark blue sweater and brown dress pants with black shoes. Meowth's outfit was removed entirely, and only a bow tie was placed on him. The three looked at themselves, shocked and in awe. "So, what do you think?", Evan asked.

"Good enough for me!", James said, not being particularly picky.

"I'm still amazed that you can do stuff like that, I'm not entirely used to it", Jessie said. Evan chuckled.

"A lot of people are. Alright, most people here aren't aware of who you are exactly, and I asked the professor to tell those who do know you that you'll be arriving, so you shouldn't be shocking anyone majorly. Just remember our agreement", Evan explained. The three seemed nervous, uncertain of what he would do to them if they were to break their agreement. They didn't know what someone with powers could do to them, and didn't want to find out either. Truth was he would never do anything to them, as it goes against what Angels stand for, but he knew that they didn't know that, and kept it so.

"Yeah, no problem!", Team Rocket said in nervous unison. Evan smiled.

"Perfect. So then we should all have a happy Christmas. It's not right to leave anyone out in the cold and alone for this time of year", Evan explained. Ash looked over at the angel in amazement. Normally Ash would be very caring and considerate for people, but here Evan was, allowing Team Rocket of all people to join them in the festivities. It was almost like nothing bothered Evan. Like he saw no evil in the world. He supposed though, that it was a good thing to have that mentality, especially given the job Evan was given. How could one spread the Christmas cheer if they didn't share it to everyone equally? Evan then turned away from the group and took a few steps forward to the hall. He then stopped and looked back to the group.

"Well then, shall we get going?", Evan asked. Team Rocket was still nervous, although now it was more facing everyone else rather than Evan. However, they gathered up what little courage they had and followed the angel to the main hall. Ash however stood there for a moment longer. He couldn't help but smile and slightly chuckle even at the thought of it. He was never one for bragging about himself, he matured over the years when it came to that. But one thing he considered himself even now was kind hearted. He always helped those in need, and yet he never thought about helping Team Rocket the way Evan just did. Regardless, he was right, no one should be left out for the holidays. And Team Rocket had become, in their own way, part of the family that Ash had made during his travels.

He chuckled a bit more to himself before deciding to follow the others to the hall. He stepped inside and took a good look around. There were a lot more guests than he had anticipated, all of them laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves. Kids laughed and ran around while adults held their drinks and discussed with their older friends about their recent stories. Ash looked and saw his friends and family, all of them talking and enjoying the night. It made him smile, and made his heart feel a bit lighter. He held his hand to his heart and smiled. He knew that he was feeling more of the holiday spirit, and he hoped that he would continue to feel it for the rest of the holidays.

Ash then made his way over to Misty, who's back was turned to him. He snuck up behind her quietly and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her softly on the cheek and resting his head on her shoulder. She smiled, holding one hand up to his head and holding it gently, loving the embrace.

"Did you miss me?", Ash asked. Misty giggled.

"Of course, don't I always?", Misty asked. Ash chuckled.

"True", Ash remarked. "I'm guessing you know who Evan invited to the party by now right?". Misty nodded, although he could sense the slight annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah. I don't trust them Ash. I understand that Evan gave them pure hearts, but it hasn't changed them, they've still trued to steal our Pokemon over the years, who's to say they won't tonight?", Misty asked.

"Evan gave them a warning", Ash said.

"Do you think he would do something about it if they broke their word?", Misty asked. Ash shrugged.

"Don't know, not likely. But Team Rocket doesn't know that", Ash said with a smile. Misty smiled back.

"Good point", Misty said. The two them looked around to see the other guests enjoying themselves. Holly was talking to May, Max, and Tracy, about what they weren't sure. Delia and Prof. Oak were talking to other people of Pallet Town, reflecting on older Christmas parties. Gary was by the tables, eating away silently to pass the time. Team Rocket was within the large mix of people, trying to enjoy themselves, which they seemed to have trouble doing. Brock was walking away from one group of people, sulking heavily as he approached the banquet table with Gary. Ash and Misty giggled.

"You think he had bad luck with the girls?", Ash asked about Brock. Misty giggled with a nod.

"I'm willing to bet on it", Misty said. Ash chuckled and pressed his face closer to Misty's cheek.

"Good thing I have my dream girl already", Ash said with a smile. Misty smiled lovingly and turned her head to face Ash.

"You're a goof", Misty said. Ash smiled back.

"I can live with that", Ash said. The two then shared a romantic, yet brief, kiss on the lips. When they finished, Misty smiled even more.

"I love you", Misty said.

"I love you too Mist", Ash replied. Suddenly, the sound of disgust came from behind them. Ash and Misty, blushing slightly, turned around and looked down to see a little girl, sticking her tongue out as if she had just eaten something rotten.

"That's gross! You're gonna get cooties from that!", the little girl said. Ash and Misty couldn't help but laugh at the comment. They shook off the blush and brought their attention to the girl.

"You think so now, but wait until you're old enough to have a boyfriend", Ash said with a smirk. The little girl became even more disgusted.

"Ew! Never!", the little girl said. Ash laughed out loud. Misty kept it to a small giggle.

"Well other than us grossing you out, are you having fun at Prof. Oak's party?", Misty asked. The little girl changed from disgust to more of boredom and even a slight hint of annoyance.

"No, not really", the little girl said. Both Ash and Misty stopped laughing and looked at the little girl with some concern.

"How come?", Ash asked. The little girl looked up to them.

"I just can't. I don't like Christmas", the little girl said. Both Ash and Misty became slightly shocked.

"What? What little kid like you doesn't like Christmas?", Ash asked. The little girl stuck her thumb to herself.

"This little girl, that's who!", the little girl exclaimed.

"But, how come you don't like Christmas? Aren't you excited to get presents from Santa?", Misty asked, bending down more to level with the child. She seemed somewhat concerned that the little girl didn't like Christmas, she wanted everyone to enjoy it like she always had. The little girl however scoffed at the comment.

"Santa isn't even real!", the little girl said. From across the room, Holly felt a twinge in her chest. She held her heart and immediately turned to look to Ash and Misty. "I've never seen him, and everytime I ask for something he gives me something else!", the little girl went on. Holly sighed. Being a Claus, she could feel when those around her didn't believe in Santa Claus, and therefore, didn't believe in her. It was something that she had grown to get used to over the years, although it was much worse now than it was in years past. Less and less people believed in her and her family. She knew that she wouldn't be able to change the minds of everyone on the planet. Her father purposely made sure he wasn't seen, so as the spirit of Christmas is felt, and not seen. And this was something that she intended to keep when she took over the job.

But, that didn't mean she couldn't help at least this little girl.

She walked around from the others and approached Ash, Misty, and the little girl. Ash and Misty looked at her with some concern. They did not know that she was aware of the little girl's Christmas opinions, and were afraid that the little girl would unintentionally hurt her feelings. Holly however, was prepared. She tapped the little girl on the shoulder, getting her attention. The little girl turned around and looked up at the red headed teen. Holly bent down to her level as Misty had done.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Tell me, how come you don't believe in Santa Claus?", Holly asked. The little girl fully turned to Holly.

"I've never seen him before. I would stay up as late as I could, but every night I wouldn't see him! And every year I ask for certain things on my list, and I hardly ever get them. Plus older kids around me always tell me how he isn't real", the little girl said. Holly nodded, understanding.

"I see. Well, maybe Santa wants people to not see him", Holly said. The little girl seemed confused.

"Why would he do that?", the little girl asked.

"Maybe Santa doesn't want to be seen. Maybe he wants people to feel that he's real, not hope", Holly explained. The little girl seemed to be understanding what Holly was talking about, but still seemed skeptical.

"Well then, how come I never get what I ask for?", the little girl asked.

"It's hard for Santa to be able to get everyone what they want. He tries his best, but I think that he would get everyone what they want if he could", Holly said with a smile. The little girl looked down, but then looked back up to her.

"Well what about the older kids? They always call me a little kid when I say I believe in Santa", the little girl said. Holly sighed.

"Sometimes people only believe in what they see. They ignore the feelings they get when they think of Santa Claus. Or Christmas in general. And then they judge other people who don't think the way they do. Tell me, do you feel joy, and peace on Christmas? When you open your gifts, and spend your time with your family and loved ones?", Holly asked. The little girl looked down, somewhat shamefully.

"Y-yes. I do...it's not that I don't want to believe in Santa, I really do. It's just that...I find it hard to", the little girl admitted. Holly smiled.

"I understand. A lot of people have the same problem you do, don't feel like you're the only one. I think that the best way to believe in something is to not see it, or hear it...but to feel it", Holly said, pointing to the girl's heart. The little girl smiled.

"You think so?", the little girl asked. Holly nodded with a smile.

"I know so. In fact, I know a really good way to do that too", Holly said. This got Ash and Misty's attention as well, as the three of them looked at Holly in curiosity.

"How?", the little girl asked. Holly winked.

"With a little...music", Holly said. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Holly stood up straight, looking towards the door. "Right on time", Holly said. She then held her hand out to the little girl. "Let me show you how to believe". The little girl looked at her hand for a moment, then took it with her own and allowed Holly to lead her to the door. Ash and Misty followed behind them. When they reached the door, Holly opened it and smiled. Ash, Misty, and the little girl all gasped in wonder and joy. Standing outside, wearing winter gear and grouped together, were Christmas carolers. The group of singers were all children, eighteen at the oldest and ten at the youngest. The group of boys and girls all looked happy as they held little books filled with lyrics and musical notes. The little girl looked on with amazement in her eyes. She couldn't believe the luck, it was almost like magic.

Ash and Misty both smiled to each other, they knew the truth. Ash turned to the hall and hollered.

"Hey, there are Christmas carolers out here! Come listen!", Ash called out. Soon, many of the guests, including Ash's friends, Delia, Prof. Oak, and even Team Rocket, all came to the door. Evan stood by Holly and smiled. Holly winked back. He too knew what Holly had done. The group of people then looked at the carolers. One little girl in the front of the choir smiled and stepped forward. She would begin the song.

"_Children sleeping, snow is softly falling  
Dreams are calling, like bells in the distance  
We were dreamers, not so long ago  
But one by one we, all had to grow up"_

Now the other children began to sing along with the song and everyone listened in closely.

"_When it seems the magic slipped away,  
We all find it again on Christmas day" _

"_Believe in what your heart is saying,  
Hear the melody that's playing  
There's no time to waste,  
There's so much to celebrate  
Believe in what you feel inside,  
And give your dreams the wings to fly  
You have everything you need,  
If you just believe"_

Everyone inside was smiling and loving the tune of the song. The soft voices of the carolers made them all feel peaceful and calm. The singers, despite being in the cold, did not slow down or soften their voices. Everyone inside felt their hearts lift to the song, as if their lyrics were all they needed to believe.

"_Trains move quickly, to their journey's end  
Destinations are where we begin again  
Ships go sailing, far across the sea  
Trusting starlight to get where they need to be  
When it seems that we have lost our way,  
We find ourselves again on Christmas day"_

People inside began to hold onto each other, mothers over children, husbands over wives, friends hand in hand; as the lyrics flowed through them.

"_Believe in what your heart is saying,  
__Hear the melody that's playing  
There's no time to waste,  
__There's so much to celebrate  
Believe in what you feel inside,  
And give your dreams the wings to fly  
You have everything you need,  
If you just believe" _

The listeners all smiled even more as they all felt warm and comfortable. Holly and Evan could both feel the wonderful sensation of the belief in Christmas. Holly put a hand to her heart, which was warm and almost glowing. She smiled and looked over to Evan, who smiled back. They both felt the spirit of Christmas in all of the people around them, every single one. The carolers began to wrap up their song.

"_If you just believe,  
__If you just believe,  
If you just believe,  
Just believe"_

Then, the young girl in the front, the one who had started the song, stepped forward once more and looked to the listeners, with a smile on her face.

"_Just believe"_

The song was now finished. Everyone inside all cheered, clapped, and thanked the carolers for their song. Some guests immediately left and went back to the party, talking about the wonderful song and the weird feeling they all felt. Some stayed by the door and gave a cheer for the singers. Some even went so far as to go outside and personally thank the singers. But one by one, the listeners all disappeared, back to the party. Soon, everyone was gone but Ash and his friends, Evan, Holly, and the little girl who questioned Santa and Christmas. Holly smiled and bent down to the little girl.

"So, how do you feel now?", Holly asked.

"Like, I believe...thank you", the little girl said. She then turned to the singers. "And thank you all too!". She smiled and ran off back to the party, singing the song in her own tune. The carolers and Ash's friends all giggled. The others then all turned and began to make their way back to the party. Holly and Evan however stayed back just a little while longer. Holly turned to the carolers and mouthed "thank you" to them all. The carolers all smiled and turned around, all except the little girl. She gave a small wink to Evan and Holly before leaving turning around with the others. Suddenly, the group all burst into light, like little glowing snowflakes. The light sparkled and spun around, like snow in a wind, before flying high in the air and disappearing. Holly and Evan watched this with a smile before looking at each other, and closing the door.

**And that shall do it! Finally! It was annoying writing this chapter, not because of the song, but because I had trouble constantly switching the italics with the normal! Phew, well, regardless, here it is, my update to "Christmas The Sequel"! I know I missed the Christmas deadline, and for that, I apologize. But hopefully you're all still feeling some of that Christmas spirit and still loving the story regardless. :) I hope it filled you with happiness and peace, and I hope that you all feel the TRUE meaning of Christmas in the process. I don't own the song "Believe" by Josh Groban or any of the rights, blah blah blah. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for tonight's game! Giants V.S. Cowboys for the NFC East title and a playoff berth in the 4th seed, BIG GAME! :D Please be sure to F.A.R., and to you all, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!**

******sincerely,**  
**evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


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